tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79177430220061563082019-09-05T02:20:43.876-06:00Life on The High PlainsBryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-33045008696963803122019-01-07T20:43:00.004-07:002019-01-07T20:44:21.231-07:00Welcome (to my water problems) and GoodbyeI made the decision the other day to write one more thing and then end this blog.&nbsp; I started it to chronicle ranch life and then it worked good to document mine and David's trip to Washington D.C.&nbsp; It's been fun and I remember a lot of things while reading old blogs. The documentation of David's life is great and I'm glad I have that.&nbsp; But seasons change and mine is changing. The ranch is up for sale and will likely soon be sold&nbsp; Like it or not, a new phase is coming.<br /><br />Given that, how appropriate was it that today I had the SAME water problem as I had in <a href="https://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-to-my-water-problems.html" target="_blank">my first blog post</a>?!&nbsp; We woke up this morning to find no water.&nbsp; After waiting for the sun to rise, we headed to "the hole"... the well house that's 1/2 mile from the house... and went in. After going back to the house twice for more tools and gear, I determined that I had a bad pressure switch!&nbsp; Pretty sure the last time it was replaced was back in 2011 when I wrote my first post!&nbsp; However, the switch replacement didn't solve the problem.&nbsp; Pressure would build in the tank but drop as soon as the outgoing valve was opened.<br /><br />After some sleuthing and running down the pipeline, I found the leak in the pens at the house. Not sure what happened, but it looks like maybe the spigot there blew off the line, leaving it wide open. There's a lake in the pens that'll have to dry before I can fix anything, but fortunately, I have a shut-off valve and so I shut off the pens and ta-da... we had water at the house again!!<br /><br />Here are some views from "the hole" which I took in the dark with the lid shut while Derek ran to the house for some tools and gear.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-evKm-SRa7To/XDQWTrsn27I/AAAAAAAAKio/YXp0lATazaEV1vgFd15K3sDpILZkzMkYQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20190107_095604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-evKm-SRa7To/XDQWTrsn27I/AAAAAAAAKio/YXp0lATazaEV1vgFd15K3sDpILZkzMkYQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20190107_095604.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressure tank and pressure switch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1BfZo8Avmfk/XDQWT1sQINI/AAAAAAAAKis/afyO5R3XRhs0DJ5GAUtRdoFoOUzits0sACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20190107_095610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1BfZo8Avmfk/XDQWT1sQINI/AAAAAAAAKis/afyO5R3XRhs0DJ5GAUtRdoFoOUzits0sACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20190107_095610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heat panel, and heat ribbon for pipes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLm2iY2651M/XDQWT5UUFeI/AAAAAAAAKiw/szC0uK_EvIQdAohnhoURDH-xRlyWU1XJQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20190107_095620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLm2iY2651M/XDQWT5UUFeI/AAAAAAAAKiw/szC0uK_EvIQdAohnhoURDH-xRlyWU1XJQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20190107_095620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got a lot of air coming in here- need to fill this in</td></tr></tbody></table><br />War of the Weeds- epilogue<br /><br />So... how did the <a href="https://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-war-of-weeds.html" target="_blank">War of the Weeds</a> turn out, you ask?&nbsp; The electric fence we put up in the East pasture was a smashing success.&nbsp; In fact, it kept the cattle in a place that doesn't normally get grazed and we got enough rain during the summer that I never even moved them into the rest of the pasture.&nbsp; So, thanks to the electric fence, I kept an entire pasture's worth of cattle in 1/3 of the area they're normally in, leaving 2/3 of the pasture completely ungrazed for the entire year!<br /><br />In the West Cedar Creek, we double-stocked and left the East Cedar Creek- where the loco was _really_ bad completely ungrazed until 1 month before shipping. Our logic here was two-fold... 1) let the grass grow all summer, and b) even if the cattle did get on locoweed, it takes 6 weeks to get addicted and by that time, they'd be gone.&nbsp; The strategy worked well and cattle weight gains were completely normal.<br /><br />In the big Gallegos pasture, we didn't stock cattle until June. While we got a full allotment there, the short season meant 30% less income.<br /><br />As it ended, the season was VERY tight, but I did survive thru 2018 w/out having to take a loan.&nbsp; It was maybe the closest we've ever had to cut it, though.&nbsp; By this time the decision had been made to sell the ranch and invest in other things. As of today, it looks like I will have one more grazing season while the ranch is on the market.&nbsp; If everything goes the way I want it to go, the guy who's been leasing from us is the one who will end up buying it and I might actually get to stay here. However, there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip and at this point, the water's only getting warm, so who knows what'll happen?&nbsp; I know one thing... I'm "in charge" of almost nothing. The world just turns away and I just try to ride along.<br /><br />Thanks for reading.&nbsp; Adios.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wm9GC-6rZo0/XDQaYszY-HI/AAAAAAAAKjI/-jJmex8I5kECxjlaFlbsXmm6jy2CF6OIQCLcBGAs/s1600/Dwight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wm9GC-6rZo0/XDQaYszY-HI/AAAAAAAAKjI/-jJmex8I5kECxjlaFlbsXmm6jy2CF6OIQCLcBGAs/s320/Dwight.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nnk2s0SwM48/XDQaTzm19II/AAAAAAAAKjE/M49rQHHP08c_3Dr0BHnj8mR3-R7ZMWyGACLcBGAs/s1600/20180325_150810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nnk2s0SwM48/XDQaTzm19II/AAAAAAAAKjE/M49rQHHP08c_3Dr0BHnj8mR3-R7ZMWyGACLcBGAs/s320/20180325_150810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sMM3NAI4bxY/XDQcC9OHfII/AAAAAAAAKjc/mg0lXtJSPmEItE94NG63TAk7lAhUbfnwACLcBGAs/s1600/D2%2BKTM%2B150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sMM3NAI4bxY/XDQcC9OHfII/AAAAAAAAKjc/mg0lXtJSPmEItE94NG63TAk7lAhUbfnwACLcBGAs/s320/D2%2BKTM%2B150.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lQlXRImOLyo/XDQcCml2O_I/AAAAAAAAKjY/iE81p5V_39gxzHROTWLNEpDPd5G3GPYkwCLcBGAs/s1600/Gasgas%2Btrials%2Bbikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1184" height="194" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lQlXRImOLyo/XDQcCml2O_I/AAAAAAAAKjY/iE81p5V_39gxzHROTWLNEpDPd5G3GPYkwCLcBGAs/s320/Gasgas%2Btrials%2Bbikes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYKTDmuQP50/XDQcLwWA7QI/AAAAAAAAKjg/ykIjqmsWWgQM9DSpBhQT5xOX-qXU-T7qQCLcBGAs/s1600/D2%2Band%2BB%2Bat%2BUte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYKTDmuQP50/XDQcLwWA7QI/AAAAAAAAKjg/ykIjqmsWWgQM9DSpBhQT5xOX-qXU-T7qQCLcBGAs/s320/D2%2Band%2BB%2Bat%2BUte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPzo6v60sXU/XDQcMJRDx6I/AAAAAAAAKjo/TJ2wveoHzy8e6YIyRyYnb8_84GBP0O-nQCLcBGAs/s1600/Elk%2Bin%2Bcanyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPzo6v60sXU/XDQcMJRDx6I/AAAAAAAAKjo/TJ2wveoHzy8e6YIyRyYnb8_84GBP0O-nQCLcBGAs/s320/Elk%2Bin%2Bcanyon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNFrBzzI8rM/XDQcL_sS6AI/AAAAAAAAKjk/cirwcvrDZSQ35xrXj2IP_dQLLbSS1fXzACLcBGAs/s1600/Weight%2Bloss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNFrBzzI8rM/XDQcL_sS6AI/AAAAAAAAKjk/cirwcvrDZSQ35xrXj2IP_dQLLbSS1fXzACLcBGAs/s320/Weight%2Bloss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-2851768770835479052018-05-22T10:32:00.001-06:002018-05-22T18:33:10.373-06:00The War of the WeedsEvery year of our ranching life is different.&nbsp; One year it's drought, another year it's too much rain, another it's range caterpillars, one year it was June bugs (which piled up against the house in piles literally feet deep).&nbsp; This year, it's locoweed. I've been posting about our battle with locoweed on Facebook and I'm surprised to read that many people don't understand the severity of this issue or think it's just something that cowboys (implication: "ignorant cowboys") have made up.<br /><br />Really, though, locoweed poisoning is a serious and expensive problem. Our main loco is wooly locoweed (<i><a href="https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=asmo7" target="_blank">Astragalus mollissimus</a>)</i>&nbsp;with some white locoweed (<i><a href="https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=oxse" target="_blank">Oxytropis sericea</a></i>). I don't have much trouble with the white- it's the wooly that's my main enemy.&nbsp;Once cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and wildlife get habituated or addicted to locoweed, they're pretty much ruined. The weed messes with their nervous system and they become easily startled, aggressive, disoriented, and eventually die of heart failure or some other organ breakdown.&nbsp; Cattle lose a lot of weight, which is where the economic loss enters.&nbsp; Horses are useless for work- putting a halter on can cause them to go bezerk. Both will seek out and eat the weed, to the point of getting on their knees and rooting for roots after they've eaten the top plant.<br /><br />The only real solution at the time is to keep animals from grazing it. They don't prefer locoweed at first- green grass is still preferred- but if the grass is brown and the locoweed green, then cattle will start on it. It sounds easy to "just keep them away" but when your pastures are infested with it, that's easier said than done.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5uXscPY7QY/WwRC6NW5PsI/AAAAAAAAHT0/9hk1I4KSSHgBybe_fAOgmhcXDoTe8e4AACEwYBhgL/s1600/Locoweed%2Bin%2BECC.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5uXscPY7QY/WwRC6NW5PsI/AAAAAAAAHT0/9hk1I4KSSHgBybe_fAOgmhcXDoTe8e4AACEwYBhgL/s320/Locoweed%2Bin%2BECC.mp4" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tour of locoweed in pasture</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Fortunately, 1/2 of two pastures are relatively clean.&nbsp; And fortunately, in one pasture, those cattle are staying off the loco.&nbsp; In the other pasture, the cattle went to it immediately.&nbsp; After a week of watching them eat it, we drove them to the far other side of the pasture where it's "clean".&nbsp; We left them at the windmill with salt, cattle cake, and protein tubs, all in an attempt to create an attraction that would overcome the attraction of the loco.&nbsp; Within 4 hours they'd covered the 2 miles back to the loco.&nbsp; And that's another issue... I think most people who've tried suggesting options simply don't understand the distances, space, and size of the pastures and problem.&nbsp; I'm talking "miles" here. You can't go out and spray individual plants- there are hundreds of thousands of them. Aerial spraying is very expensive, must be done with winds of &lt; 8 mph and relative humidity around 50% and then it takes 120 days (that's 4 MONTHS) for the plants to die (by which point they're dead anyway).<br /><br />Anyway, after the cattle moved back to the loco, we gathered them up and penned them. I have a little grassy wing off the pens that I've left ungrazed for years for this exact purpose.&nbsp; Combined with $80 hay bales (that last 2 days each), this gave us a week of "rehab".&nbsp; After that, we started grazing them in the dirt road lane where there is abundant, never grazed, grass.&nbsp; We'd turn them out, sit on our ATV's and watch them for a few hours, then re-pen them. We did this twice a day, usually.&nbsp; We finally got them trained to eat grass- coming off green winter wheat fields, I honestly don't think they knew how- and put them back into the pasture, at the far East end again.<br /><br />This pasture has a natural barrier of sorts in the form of a rough canyon. Cattle have to come up to peninsula to cross this canyon.&nbsp; For the next few weeks, we guarded this peninsula and pushed cattle back.&nbsp; We fed.&nbsp; We moved all salt and attractants to the mill.&nbsp; And then we put an electric wire fence, the first we've ever used on this ranch, cutting the pasture into "safe" and "loco".<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgd8Sp5fpwM/WwRBMsor0KI/AAAAAAAAHTM/egXs_wLgzWkFOR8utBtdyMjOIqGUN5sVQCLcBGAs/s1600/East%2Bpasture%2Bloco.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="967" height="218" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgd8Sp5fpwM/WwRBMsor0KI/AAAAAAAAHTM/egXs_wLgzWkFOR8utBtdyMjOIqGUN5sVQCLcBGAs/s320/East%2Bpasture%2Bloco.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Blue line is electric fence. Note how canyon divides pasture.<br />Loco on the left, good stuff on the right.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Putting the fence up was an adventure itself.&nbsp; First, I had to buy all the stuff.&nbsp; That took some touring of my cousin's electric fence to see how the things work, then over to Texline TX, back to Clayton, and- $1000 poorer- back home.&nbsp; Then, we went to our fence post pile and after loading up 100 fence posts, I pulled out and immediately ran over a huge rock hidden in the grass. This smashed my Chevy's exhaust pipe up, broke the header, and punched a hole in the transfer case. The eventual repair bill was $4000 which, thank God, insurance picked up (except for the $1000 deductible).&nbsp; After parking the truck, I decided to just drive my skid steer 2.5 miles to the construction site. I did that and upon arriving immediately smelled "overheating", plus all my warning lights started flashing.&nbsp; After some quick troubleshooting, I found a busted serpentine belt. This, of course, runs the alternator and coolant fan, which is why I overheated. So now I had no truck and a dead skid-steer in the pasture. This being Saturday, we had no hope of getting a new belt either. There really was nothing to do but starting pounding posts by hand. Sunday afternoon, we ran out of posts and took the Ranger to get more. In the process, I ran over a fence post and blew a tire. We fixed that in the field with a plug and portable air compressor and go running again. By Sunday evening we had 1/2 mile pounded and were pretty tired. On Monday, I had a belt lined up and my Monday afternoon, not only did we have the belt in but we had the remaining 1.5 miles of posts driven.&nbsp; That's how much faster things go with the right tools. By Tues, we had a 2 wire electric fence up.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke8wm0y7-xA/WwRERRnLWMI/AAAAAAAAHUE/l2W6EJKGAnsxdsEdS3_zEmlTTA40QpMQACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180511_161031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke8wm0y7-xA/WwRERRnLWMI/AAAAAAAAHUE/l2W6EJKGAnsxdsEdS3_zEmlTTA40QpMQACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180511_161031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's not supposed to look like this.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abfAuVsW_U8/WwRERVRh51I/AAAAAAAAHUA/j9at_V5C_rotjhhheGMJYgnToHRhyZPdQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180511_161055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abfAuVsW_U8/WwRERVRh51I/AAAAAAAAHUA/j9at_V5C_rotjhhheGMJYgnToHRhyZPdQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180511_161055.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chevy helping Chevy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9MKogB7xs8c/WwRERmg3pmI/AAAAAAAAHUI/QMlsEjShGacfz0U-3kAWNK1ecCVFJUUqQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180512_092427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9MKogB7xs8c/WwRERmg3pmI/AAAAAAAAHUI/QMlsEjShGacfz0U-3kAWNK1ecCVFJUUqQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180512_092427.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead skid steer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gT_g3KUfyg/WwRER9GvDRI/AAAAAAAAHUM/-eiyBaHmws4WbSakyu-z-Doab-IkB9pngCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180512_092441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gT_g3KUfyg/WwRER9GvDRI/AAAAAAAAHUM/-eiyBaHmws4WbSakyu-z-Doab-IkB9pngCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180512_092441.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supposed to be a belt there</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruht7wUGWxU/WwRESfbjepI/AAAAAAAAHUQ/fOsh1lkMk68VbrBQpwkDlldM7AkL-R60ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180512_094107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruht7wUGWxU/WwRESfbjepI/AAAAAAAAHUQ/fOsh1lkMk68VbrBQpwkDlldM7AkL-R60ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180512_094107.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing things the old-fashioned (slow) way</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G8brp9fXkjc/WwRETJlDtNI/AAAAAAAAHUU/ow7aspdpgS0rtYNeHnmARU15IYk5P6GywCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180514_181914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G8brp9fXkjc/WwRETJlDtNI/AAAAAAAAHUU/ow7aspdpgS0rtYNeHnmARU15IYk5P6GywCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180514_181914.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supposed to have air in it</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />At the same time, Georgia was digging up locoweed plants in the "clean" side just to do everything we could to minimize use of the plant. She'd watch the cattle and dig plants and after 3 weeks of doing this, filled 3 dumpsters to the brim with locoweed plants.&nbsp; And this was from the "clean" pasture!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzXO4g5fOsk/WwRCr-jMXnI/AAAAAAAAHTw/bGPyDobbuGIiwz-UurdJiYNgTLISiWI4QCEwYBhgL/s1600/Digging%2Bloco.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzXO4g5fOsk/WwRCr-jMXnI/AAAAAAAAHTw/bGPyDobbuGIiwz-UurdJiYNgTLISiWI4QCEwYBhgL/s320/Digging%2Bloco.mp4" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging locoweed</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The MAIN problem with this locoweed stuff is that I can't stock cattle.&nbsp; And if I can't stock cattle, we don't make any money.&nbsp; If we don't make any money, we go broke. I don't think most people understand the overhead required of running a 27,000 acre ranch. With taxes, State Land lease on part of it, salary, insurance, expenses, etc, overhead runs close to $100,000. That's not something you just pull out of your wallet.&nbsp; The worst part is that, here I grazed conservatively for 6 years to recover from a drought, brought the pastures back to thick grass, and we can't even use it because of the locoweed.&nbsp; Well, nothing to do except move forward as best as we can, I guess.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNYIyKhkdnc/WwS2sebusbI/AAAAAAAAHVA/vUpf_ToZGcspVDWJKs7Bfr5hHkkb1HBbQCLcBGAs/s1600/electric%2Bfence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNYIyKhkdnc/WwS2sebusbI/AAAAAAAAHVA/vUpf_ToZGcspVDWJKs7Bfr5hHkkb1HBbQCLcBGAs/s320/electric%2Bfence.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Electric fence is up- going over horizon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-25325030651935798602018-02-19T09:27:00.001-07:002018-02-19T09:27:54.824-07:00Elk Adventure 2017Time for an update!&nbsp; I definitely got burned out with this blog and came close to ending it with my last post.&nbsp; However, I was re-reading some of my old posts and decided that it makes a pretty good diary for myself.&nbsp; So, here's an update on a few things that have happened since the <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2017/05/update-on-ursa.html" target="_blank">Ursula </a>storm. Let's start with the highlight of my year:<br /><br /><br /><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> Elk Adventure 2017<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br />I’ve been after elk for decades. I started with a bow, tried for several years and then switched to rifle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>My first year with a rifle was successful and <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2012/01/goals.html" target="_blank">I took a cow elk</a> (cow only license) at 240 yards. I backpacked that one out over 2 miles of rough country. Three years later, <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2014/10/elk-adventure-2014.html" target="_blank">I took a bull </a>with the rifle, calling him in and making the shot at 30 yards. This one was on an old Jeep trail and we were able to use a cart to wheel the deboned meat down to the ATV’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The next year, <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2017/03/elk-adventure-2016.html" target="_blank">my then-12 year old sontook a bull</a>, the first to be taken on our ranch. We backpacked that one out for 0.15 mile uphill on a freshly healed screwed and plated <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-collarbone-incident.html" target="_blank">collarbone</a>. I’d gotten clearance the day before to do “light” exercise and, knowing we were going to go elk hunting the next day, didn’t ask for a definition of “light exercise”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br />This son is the key to both my bull and this year’s successes as I’m very hard of hearing and he’s not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He can hear elk and in 2017 was able to both bugle and cow-call. At 13, he’s taken 3 pronghorn, 1 whitetail, and 1 elk as well as several coyotes and hundreds of prairie dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In 2017, I drew for archery elk and mule deer in my home unit, here in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Mexico</st1:place></st1:state>. The emphasis was on elk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br />Here’s the story, as I wrote it each day.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> Day 1<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br />I'll tell you what. Elk hunting is tough. Or I'm weak. Whatever. My butt has done been kicked! After a late and rough start this morning, during which we fixed the trailer wiring and fixed the truck fuses in the dark, we finally got to the mountain about 8 am and found elk everywhere. We saw at least 10 bulls before 9:30 am. However, I'm looking for either a young cow or a monster bull so we mostly just glassed and moved on.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2RHv6Z3pHUY/Woru-uZBZKI/AAAAAAAAGBI/cfGFeU-56s4vFjUa0OUga03B8R2AWk5FwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170914_174356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span black="" color:=""><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2RHv6Z3pHUY/Woru-uZBZKI/AAAAAAAAGBI/cfGFeU-56s4vFjUa0OUga03B8R2AWk5FwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170914_174356.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk hunting gear</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">On the way up one canyon, I spotted a bedded bull about 300 yards away across the canyon. We played with him a little bit and he showed interest in my cow calls but not enough to stand up. Then, I showed him our cow elk decoy and, surprisingly, he stood up and then walked out of sight over the ridge. Maybe we won't be using the decoy after all!<o:p></o:p><br /><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Around noon, we parked our butts at a waterhole for a bit and inside an hour, a very decent 6x6 came in and frolicked around in the water at distances between 45-55 yards, well within my range. He was decent, but not decent enough to backpack 2.5 miles back to the Ranger on the first day, so I just let him enjoy his bath.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8pdpCf9f40/Woru_F-1L1I/AAAAAAAAGCg/Ha0V7pVAlKw9BOoVEHcBSQuFi7-srEZWQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170915_113618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8pdpCf9f40/Woru_F-1L1I/AAAAAAAAGCg/Ha0V7pVAlKw9BOoVEHcBSQuFi7-srEZWQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170915_113618.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a 6x6 bull in that pond&nbsp;@ 50 yards</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JS6BKleFTAI/Woru-zA6OvI/AAAAAAAAGCc/8sSmwGK_MMIupqEevHBNbM1TpsDNt2TNACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170915_115045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JS6BKleFTAI/Woru-zA6OvI/AAAAAAAAGCc/8sSmwGK_MMIupqEevHBNbM1TpsDNt2TNACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170915_115045.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek in his hiding spot</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I have an unwritten rule to not shoot elk past 2-3 pm unless I want to pack it out in the dark- and we've been there, done that, and don't really need to do it again- so we headed back down the mountain to the Ranger. We busted two elk right away and then I slowed down and did some cold-calling with a cow call as we moved along much slower. This worked and I got two bulls to poke their heads out of the timber but neither were the bull I was looking for so we just moved on.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Finally back at the Ranger, I turned back to glass the slope we'd just left and immediately picked up two cows about 350 yards away. After they walked off downslope towards us, a bull showed up and I watched him disappear downslope too. After a bit, I told D, "I'm going to walk right over there and see if I can spot those elk. And I should probably take my bow 'cause if I don't, there'll be a bull at 40 yards..."<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">After glassing a bit, D heard some elk talking (his ears have been a Godsend!) and told me to bugle a little bit. I did and got an answer. A minute later I got more than an answer when a bull with nice bell shaped antlers came striding over the hill toward us. D cow-called, I cow-called and bugled, and Mr. Elk was coming in. I had D to my left and back about 40 yards but if the bull appeared where I thought he might, I've have a poor shot angle. So, I stepped forward to another bunch of trees. Minutes later- 10, 15.... I don't know- I signed D "Do you see him?" "No". I stepped forward around another tree and there he was, staring at me from 30 yards away. Had I stayed in my original position, I would have seen him coming but when I moved, I put a tree directly between us, blocking my view. The original position was a bad angle, too, and the way he was coming, he might've ended up about 10 yards from me, head-on. He snorted, wheeled, and trotted off thru the timber. When he turned, I thought he was a big 5x5 but Lil’ Dawg D thought he was a 6x6 and bigger than the one in the pond.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We bugled and cow called a little more and ta-da.... another bull lit up. This one was a 5x5 and stood about 125 yards from D, but wouldn't cross a little drainage. Finally, he gave up and left, too. Too bad, cause we were less than 100 yards from the Ranger and pack out might've been relatively easy. But such is hunting.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in 0.0001pt;">We're pooped. We should get up and go in the morning but it's gonna be painful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>While loading the Ranger on the trailer, with it at face level, I noticed a bent A arm leaking grease. Dunno if it's fresh or old or whatever, but it's obviously gotta be fixed ASAP. I do not want to add "recover broken down Ranger from mountain" to my list of things to do. Well, hey, at least we made it to, up, and off the mountain.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><b>Day 2</b><o:p></o:p><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">I am pretty glad we took the day off elk hunting to check out the Ranger's bent A-arm! If you recall, yesterday when I was loading it up to come home, I got some grease on my hand. My bikes and trucks and such don't have loose grease so that prompted me to take a closer look and I found a bent A-arm. The grease was from the plastic "protection" plate rubbing on the CV joint boot, causing a small tear thru which the grease leaked.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISyQ3CfyWiY/WorvAYERv-I/AAAAAAAAGCo/NFI3E7m_SX8NlRpyaO7t2drl6OwCZshJwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170916_153357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISyQ3CfyWiY/WorvAYERv-I/AAAAAAAAGCo/NFI3E7m_SX8NlRpyaO7t2drl6OwCZshJwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170916_153357.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bent A-arm on Ranger</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Today, we pulled the arm off and found it n<span class="textexposedshow">early cracked in half! I think we were pretty fortunate to make it down off the mountain without the thing breaking and leaving us stranded. Just imagine if I'd killed that 30-yard bull, spent half the night prepping him, and then had the Ranger break down on the way back to the truck! It would have been a pretty long night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textexposedshow" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rlufsyob-iI/Woru_cybPeI/AAAAAAAAGCo/55uZ0Jm7xqo5bvUwWC5BV2T7dKEhJTTZwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170916_104214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rlufsyob-iI/Woru_cybPeI/AAAAAAAAGCo/55uZ0Jm7xqo5bvUwWC5BV2T7dKEhJTTZwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170916_104214.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a dumb place to put a rivet hole!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">I'd already ordered a nearly new used arm from eBay so, with nothing to lose, we decided to weld, heat, and reinforce the damaged arm. For a couple of cowhands with a stick welder, I think we did a pretty good job. We used a piece of re-bar to get all the holes lined up and the arm went right back in place.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3hOrrD77ww/Woru_ydT-TI/AAAAAAAAGCk/McnBydnAeLkJ2vIzH41ZLIB9BV8fd1TAwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170916_141957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3hOrrD77ww/Woru_ydT-TI/AAAAAAAAGCk/McnBydnAeLkJ2vIzH41ZLIB9BV8fd1TAwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170916_141957.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emergency reinforcement</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">The rubber boot had a 1/2” tear, so I cleaned the rubber and stuffed RTZ along the seam. I then sewed it shut and coated the threads with more RTZ. I'll hold until I decide I want to tackle the job of replacing it.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We think this happened a few weeks ago when I hit a big rock buried in the deep pasture grass. I only noticed it when I got grease on my hand loading it because I store the Ranger head first in the barn and rarely eyeball the front from a distance. At least the pasture grass is deep this year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">While working, we also talked and it turns out that D does NOT want The Big Bull. He just wants a good 6x6 that's bigger than the 5x5 he got last year. He would've shot either Pond Elk or Smarter Than Me elk from yesterday. With my upcoming guide duties clarified, we decided to try for a 6x6 that’s practically in our backyard tomorrow. If we can't get him into bow range and he looks good, we'll leave him alone until rifle season so maybe D can get him. It also seems good to us to test our crippled Ranger out close to home as the walk home will be shorter than it will be from the mountain.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">That's the plan for tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To that end, we went out in the evening to glass from the road and found a nicer 6x6 than the one I’d previously seen and something else that never came out of the trees but definitely had antlers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Tomorrow awaits.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><b>Day 3</b><o:p></o:p><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">This morning we went after the 2 bulls we put to bed. To get to them, we needed to cross 1.5 miles of roadless pasture. I've used mountain bikes in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:state> to ride closed logging roads and so we decided to use them this morning instead of walking. It was a semi-good idea. Going in fresh wasn't too bad but the trip back- uphill- was rough. What I found out is that my hunting boots have a convex sole that sits firmly on<span class="textexposedshow">&nbsp;the spindle, not the teeth, of my pedals. It was like pedaling in ice skates and really aggravated my knee. I was averaging 3.3 mph on the bike and when I finally gave up and pushed it, I averaged 3.1 mph on the rocky, pockmarked, definitely not smooth prairie. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWMg_Blayxc/WorvApHD9sI/AAAAAAAAGCk/u501Ywyuqi87n7zFBkqkV9JmF6hmgavLgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170917_064419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWMg_Blayxc/WorvApHD9sI/AAAAAAAAGCk/u501Ywyuqi87n7zFBkqkV9JmF6hmgavLgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170917_064419.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking across the pasture</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">The morning dawned very foggy and moved to extremely foggy until about 9:30 am. At times I could not see the bottom of the canyon in the photos. This made glassing sort of tough. It was cold, windy, and the fog was wet so we were pretty miserable, esp after getting sweaty on the pedal in. Eventually the fog lifted and we checked some adjacent canyons but no sign of our bulls. A thunderstorm was expected at 3 pm and I definitely don't want to be packing out a bull in the dark, in the rain, so around noon, we called it and headed home. Right now, at 4 pm, the thunderstorm is, in fact, moving in.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gpvt1xw6e_A/Worw_aKzkMI/AAAAAAAAGC0/Uf3FjaolVLkr-Xj4xrldZ40xXc70Z1znACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170917_075232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gpvt1xw6e_A/Worw_aKzkMI/AAAAAAAAGC0/Uf3FjaolVLkr-Xj4xrldZ40xXc70Z1znACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170917_075232.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still art with bow</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I think we'll go back out to this spot in the morning, sans bikes and give it another chance. I've been seeing bulls here and they'll be back sooner or later.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><b>Day 4</b><o:p></o:p><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We drove back to the canyon, using the truck this time instead of the bikes. We glassed and called and saw nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We then moved to another canyon with the same results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>On the way out, we spotted some other hunters moving in on the 1st canyon. I recognized the truck from Day 1 on the mountain and later that evening, I found out it was a friend of mine guiding another friend. They were on State land and legal, so we let them be. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">We got back to the house around 1 pm, tired and discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had some work to do, so we called it a day and go ready for the next day.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><b>Day 5<o:p></o:p></b></div><br /><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">D and I went up on the mountain again in the later morning. After seeing nothing all day, we started working our way across the elevation, cold-calling into every draw as we came to them. At one, we rushed in just a little too much and busted a bull. He didn't smell us and just kind of trotted away. We were going that way anyway, so we dropped down a little and kept going. Two draws later, we called and he peeked around a tree but never ca<span class="textexposedshow">me closer. After half an hour or so of trying to entice him, with no success, we dropped down a little more and left him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textexposedshow" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wegPADu-dA8/WorvCl4VzBI/AAAAAAAAGCs/XS82Dxfq2LYeM3ACTOpzKJsbbfAdunCsACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170920_103528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wegPADu-dA8/WorvCl4VzBI/AAAAAAAAGCs/XS82Dxfq2LYeM3ACTOpzKJsbbfAdunCsACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170920_103528.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More canyon stuff</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textexposedshow" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Almost back at the Ranger (and yes my weld repair is holding up and yes I'm driving super slow), we spotted some cows about 350 yards below us. Cows are legal for me so just for fun and practice we decided to stalk them. As we did, I cow-called a little (it helps hide our noise of walking) and as we closed to about 200 yards, I looked to my left and there was a bull standing there. Game change!</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I did a short, weak little bugle. D cow-called, and Mr. Bull started coming our way. D quickly moved back and I found a good spot. The bull moved in but didn't come straight to me, instead sliding in downwind of me. If you've ever hunted in the mountains, you know that the wind is _constantly_ changing and I could see he was going to hit my scent cone. Finally, at 80 yards, he did. Game over. He ducked into the trees, disappeared, and reappeared back where he started from. We didn't call anymore, but just backed off, and left him. It's possible that we had TWO bulls coming in because D and I couldn't settle on whether he was a 5x5 or 6x6. The 5x5 I saw definitely had an injury and limp in his rear right leg and D said he didn't see that when it was coming in. He thinks he saw 6 points per side.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">As we sat in the Ranger glassing at sunset, D said he heard 5 bulls bugling up on the mountain. We got home at 9, ate, and went straight to bed. GPS gave us 4.5 miles and 1,000 vertical feet of hiking at 7,500'.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;"><b>Day 6</b><o:p></o:p><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We headed back to the mountain in the morning. There was already one vehicle in the parking spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Most guys go as high as they can and we decided to try a totally different tack and just stay low on the mountain, calling into canyons like we’d done previously. Unlike previous mornings, though, we heard no calling and it got hot fast. GPS gave us 3.5 miles with 800' of elevation change at 7200'.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afc99ZKWFxU/WorvBnvOspI/AAAAAAAAGCg/IpEsgal1bpcfYae8GkezVQcdo-0UTTPAACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170920_103506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afc99ZKWFxU/WorvBnvOspI/AAAAAAAAGCg/IpEsgal1bpcfYae8GkezVQcdo-0UTTPAACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170920_103506.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">In the canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">After hiking and exploring all morning, we headed back home around 1 pm with not a single elk seen. We ate and&nbsp;<span class="textexposedshow">rested and fixed some stuff and then checked out some closer canyons where we found 2 5x5 bulls bedded down right up against the canyon wall, still bedded at dusk. One was a skinny antlered bull but with a good looking body. The other had bigger antlers, but had a large scar/hairless area down his back, right along the spine, with a smaller, old-bloody, area on his side. We wondered if he'd tangled with a mountain lion or if the injuries were from fighting. Hard to see how he'd get that big injury on his back from fighting, though.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textexposedshow" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMm-OU1Y43w/WorxwDXtXkI/AAAAAAAAGC8/KvQJuQAWMJoWn45dRFwcMxF4m7PepYaLgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170921_095800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMm-OU1Y43w/WorxwDXtXkI/AAAAAAAAGC8/KvQJuQAWMJoWn45dRFwcMxF4m7PepYaLgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170921_095800.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our canyon- bulls were bedded against this rimrock</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 2.25pt;">I had one at 80 yards and the other at 75 yards which is about 15 yards farther than I’d like, plus I didn't want to make a shot as late as it was. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>I accidently spooked Scar a little when I stepped on a branch moving to better position. He only moved behind a tree, but we backed out, left them, and will be back first thing in the morning.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><b>Day 7</b><o:p></o:p><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We went back to the canyon where we were at last night to look for the bulls we'd seen loafing under the rimrock. While I looked up canyon a bit, D checked yesterday's spot and found one in the exact same spot, standing and walking around eating grass, and motioned me over. There was NO wind... totally dead calm...and, remembering yesterday's incident where I crunched grass underfoot and spooked the bedded elk, I took my boots off, took my pack off (the shoulder strap goes "skritch, skritch" against my shirt), and took 1 arrow to the cliff.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Rangefinder said 65 yards, a longer shot but definitely in my skill set. Rangefinder also told me the angle down was 35 deg, so we're talking a steep shot here. I drew and discovered that with the sun at my back and the elk in the shade, I couldn't see the elk thru my EZV sight gap. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>To be fair, I've had the same issue with sight pins, only worse because when you can’t see pins, you’ve got nothing. On the upside, I _could_ see the elk on the outside of the sight’s V, so I just centered the outside of the V inside the elk, put the tick marks where I wanted them (I've done this during practice), and shot. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Honestly, I was a little nervous about the shot, due to the distance, this being the only shot I’ve taken in 7 days, the bad lighting conditions, the steep downhill angle, and everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>D said my anchor wasn’t good, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Oh, well…. too late to call the arrow back!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I'm using lighted nocks for the first time and it was like watching a tracer in ultra-slow motion arc toward the elk. I could see it rise above the elk and I thought " I'm gonna stick it in the creek!" then it started arcing down, down, down and I'm thinking "I'm gonna hit it!" All this is happening in....wait a minute.... 275 fps, 65 yards = 0.71 seconds... and ziiiiinnnngggg... the arrow went RIGHT OVER the elk's back and stuck in the dirt behind him. And he kept right on grazing! Didn't even look up! He just kept grazing right along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>On the upside, the arrow was perfectly in line with his heart, just about 5 yards too high. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I was using Nockturnals for the first time and they came in just as the hunt started. I tested them at 50 yards, hit my 18:1 bullseye and called them good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I wonder, though, if the little extra weight on the tail might flatten the long-distance trajectory just enough to cause the miss?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Dunno… in any case, it was a clean miss and that’s good. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I slipped around the tree, grabbed another arrow from D as I went by my pack, got into position, and waited for the elk to get clear again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>60 yards this time. I'm gonna get him! I waited, and waited, and waited for him to clear his trees <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>and then he saw me or smelled me or sensed my aura or _something_ and bolted, taking another unseen smaller elk with him. Buh...bye!!! I lost. I actually saluted him as he trotted off up-canyon.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">Well, now we've gotta go get my arrow. I mean, $10 for the arrow, $10 for the broadhead, $10 for the lighted nock... for $30 I'm going down there. We climbed down the rocks (this is just opposite of where I nearly stepped on two rattlers 2 weeks ago) and made it to the bottom. While down there, we sat under the trees, cow-called a little bit and waited. An hour and half later, with nothing happening and with the wind swirling every direction possible, we scrambled up the cliff to the top (and I'm talking "cliff"), making all kinds of noise in the process.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVdf8WEY6Nc/WorvDLmwHvI/AAAAAAAAGCs/MrRxi0soELAprIIdVVhJcpT_7PVuEBVIACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_083025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVdf8WEY6Nc/WorvDLmwHvI/AAAAAAAAGCs/MrRxi0soELAprIIdVVhJcpT_7PVuEBVIACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_083025.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot!&nbsp; And missed.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3hDsMjlhsM/WorvCySO6jI/AAAAAAAAGCc/_z3j_FQwJoEpk7pXgz503rZZXx1DyQUOACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_093514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3hDsMjlhsM/WorvCySO6jI/AAAAAAAAGCc/_z3j_FQwJoEpk7pXgz503rZZXx1DyQUOACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_093514.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a sit in the canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">In spite of all our noise, I suggested we go ahead and walk the rim for a bit and see if we might see anything. Neither of us were sure that the elk we'd busted were the elk we saw last night and we suspected there were more in the canyon. So, we hiked about 100 yards (later, I GPS’ed the distance and it was 225’) and took a peek over the rim. I was up-canyon about 40 yards from D and out of my peripheral vision, I saw him recoil. I stepped back too, and he signed to me "4x4, right THERE". The wind was up now, masking my noise, so I carefully scooted to the edge, peeked over and RIGHT THERE!!! was a bedded bull, looking downhill. Rangefinder said 26 yards (37 deg incline, too) and I checked it several times because I couldn't believe it was that close. Even better was the access to this canyon- it was ATV’able and on our private property.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">I needed the bull to stand up so I motioned for D to go away from the rim, move up canyon to the next set of trees and cow-call a little bit. D did and the bull sort of looked over there. D called again. The bull looked again. Finally, he stood up and looked around like "What's going on?" That was what I needed. I drew, framed the V of my EZV sight on his chest and let her rip (and this time the lighting was perfect and I had bull clearly in the V). THWACK!!!! There was no mistaking that sound!<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">The bull wheeled and tore off down canyon and another bigger bull went after him. I wonder if it was this bigger bull moving for the cow call that made my bull stand. My bull just cleared the trees below and then his rear end started fishtailing and he crashed headfirst into a juniper, reared back, fell, and didn't move again. You want to talk about excited?! That was me! Seven days and many years of trying and when it finally all came together.... 26 YARDS!!!!..... that's a chip shot. D came over and quite calmly said "You got one!!! I could hear it hit!".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--vHySMHclIA/WorvH00LcpI/AAAAAAAAGCs/85cn7EY-P_M0hBsEjW_Tj9_Uti57H35xgCEwYBhgL/s1600/arrow%2Bin%2Bgrass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1184" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--vHySMHclIA/WorvH00LcpI/AAAAAAAAGCs/85cn7EY-P_M0hBsEjW_Tj9_Uti57H35xgCEwYBhgL/s320/arrow%2Bin%2Bgrass.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody, broken arrow</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMIyzzG1HZI/WorvFWLmm8I/AAAAAAAAGCo/ITXZwtWR1ZUjt_HhltT-D5ktkXoZw7hKACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_103718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMIyzzG1HZI/WorvFWLmm8I/AAAAAAAAGCo/ITXZwtWR1ZUjt_HhltT-D5ktkXoZw7hKACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_103718.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood tracking wasn't even necessary- I could SEE the elk.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDY0mso6TDQ/WorvEzmESVI/AAAAAAAAGCg/AJbK56KrYmQ8HNX2KmdJCquR_zWZy-ctgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_103625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDY0mso6TDQ/WorvEzmESVI/AAAAAAAAGCg/AJbK56KrYmQ8HNX2KmdJCquR_zWZy-ctgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_103625.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk, down.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wr9Oq7x2QFE/WorvFgcQY8I/AAAAAAAAGCk/KGNaNRgNNogXD_1IsmhiZX8vBuUS0m4IwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_103802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wr9Oq7x2QFE/WorvFgcQY8I/AAAAAAAAGCk/KGNaNRgNNogXD_1IsmhiZX8vBuUS0m4IwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_103802.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whoo-hoo!!!!&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x0Fs7z0sksM/WorvGH7v2II/AAAAAAAAGCk/ubtp65jZvrY9hFqjtdXE_OI8v6Ig7Ql4wCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_104159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x0Fs7z0sksM/WorvGH7v2II/AAAAAAAAGCk/ubtp65jZvrY9hFqjtdXE_OI8v6Ig7Ql4wCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_104159.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a funky looking lil' dude.&nbsp; The elk.&nbsp; Not me. Whatever.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">We called Mom and had her bring the Ranger to the head of the canyon while D walked down to meet her. They decided the Ranger couldn't get across the creek bed to make it up canyon, but D thought he could get to us with his Grizzly 450 and volunteered to hike back to the truck, drive it home, get his Grizzly, and return. Meanwhile,&nbsp;Mom and I worked on the bull and I was amazed to learn that she's never field processed a big game animal. I guess I've been spending too much time with our kids!<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyddJizVKW4/WorvHwRIYOI/AAAAAAAAGCo/FqBgNH9JD_oiO5CJ8rQMgh0PA33wSCs3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_121336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyddJizVKW4/WorvHwRIYOI/AAAAAAAAGCo/FqBgNH9JD_oiO5CJ8rQMgh0PA33wSCs3ACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_121336.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgia helping process for the first time!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">D returned, we loaded quarters on the Grizzly, he ran them back to the Ranger, and 3.5 hours after starting, we were done, with the elk quartered and in the walk-in cooler. I wanted either a big bull or a cow/small bull and I got the small bull. His skin was noticeably easier to cut than the bigger bull I killed 3 years ago, and his body much smaller than D's bull last year. He'll be excellent eating.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">For those who like to know these kind of things, I was using a Hoyt Alphamax 32 bow set at 62# with a Slick Trick Mag broadhead on a Gold Tip 400 arrow. My release is a Spot Hogg Whippersnapper 3-finger open jaw. I destroyed one lung and clipped the bottom of the elk's heart. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>It was maybe 5 seconds and 90 yards from the shot to him collapsing in the juniper. The arrow penetrated the far side but pushed back in at a some point- I was able to push the broken arrow all the way thru to remove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hLJsbwFmF-c/WorvHApbG4I/AAAAAAAAGCo/NqW8hdOKN_gNLMZr82reov4xe2UVV9oiQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_112108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hLJsbwFmF-c/WorvHApbG4I/AAAAAAAAGCo/NqW8hdOKN_gNLMZr82reov4xe2UVV9oiQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_112108.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the broadhead X if you look closely</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qqSdZEEtO8/WorvGp1eCwI/AAAAAAAAGCs/GIdGcc7JtVITHIs1c-kWtEdsXZtkuezugCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_112058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qqSdZEEtO8/WorvGp1eCwI/AAAAAAAAGCs/GIdGcc7JtVITHIs1c-kWtEdsXZtkuezugCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_112058.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The broken off arrow inside the chest cavity</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAcs9cm3DYY/WorvHtxwKgI/AAAAAAAAGCo/m7tqXIBkRr87pJWj0pvvqYTJXOnDEuYqgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20170921_141520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAcs9cm3DYY/WorvHtxwKgI/AAAAAAAAGCo/m7tqXIBkRr87pJWj0pvvqYTJXOnDEuYqgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20170921_141520.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk heart is pretty big!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I used Cabela’s Extreme insulated boots and they were excellent with grippy soles, lightweight, and fabulous ankle padding/support.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">They are, unfortunately, also sold-out and discontinued.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My camo is Predator Brown which I’ve been using for many years. The only thing that I didn’t like was my Predator undershirt- it’s pure synthetic and was cold when it was cold and hot when it was hot. After this hunt, I immediately ordered a Kuiu Merino wool undershirt and it’s already shown itself to be 100% better. I’ve been using an Alaskan Guide bino case for my Zeiss 10x40 (</span><st1:place style="font-family: inherit;" w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">West Germany</st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit;">!) binocs for several years now- it’s quiet and easy to get stuff out of. I stored my diaphragms and wind detector in the pockets. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wore a variety of socks, but my mainstays are Thorlo hikers. We use a variety of</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerber, Havalon, Ruko, and custom knives- I think we had 6 knives total between us.</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">My pack was a Tenzing 1140 sling to which I zip-tied a 5-arrow hip quiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This worked really well and kept my bow light. The single shoulder sling got tiring after a long day, though. (*) D used a Tenzing 1200 and I think I’m going to switch to one of those next time. The Tenzings have a lot of pockets, are quiet, and have a lot of tie-on spots. Had I needed to pack out an elk, I have a tried/true Horn Hunter Full Curl pack and a Cabela’s cart. We use OnXMaps on my phone and a Garmin Oregon 600 as a backup GPS/land-status map. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;">(*) I've since purchased a Badlands Super Day pack and think it will be a much better pack.&nbsp; It has more and better pockets and a very handy pistol holster built-in.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 2.25pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Getting a bull elk with a bow was a tremendously exciting and satisfying thing and is the cap of many, many years of effort.&nbsp; We worked hard, had some near encounters, and in the end, when it came together, it was almost easy.&nbsp; There was the bull, close, totally unaware, and I made a perfect shot. And, after climbing up the cliff- not 150 yards away from the bull!!!- I almost quit, thinking we'd made too much noise.&nbsp; Moral of the story- don't quit.&nbsp; Having taken a cow with a rifle, a bull with a rifle, and a bull with a bow, I have </span>achieved<span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;all the success I ever wanted. From here on, I don't think I'll ever rifle hunt for elk again.&nbsp; It'll be bow and it'll be for the experience.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Part 2- D's hunt:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>We are done with Derek's elk hunt. We're both tired and didn't see any elk in our home canyon this morning so we called it. Is this failure? Well, you decide....<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><b>Day 1</b>, at 9 am, we had 5 bulls under 200 yards for 2 hours, and several times under 100 yards. There was a bigger bull- a 6x6- but he disappeared in the timber. We were perched on our sniper post patiently looking for him when a pickup pulled up to the canyon mouth (on private land, I will add) and 2 guys bailed out while two stayed behind. The 2 (whom I recognized) walked up the canyon (now on public land) and soon busted the 5 bulls we'd been watching. Long story short, after busting all 5 of the elk we'd been watching and failing to see any of them, they ended up busting Mr. Big who was hiding near the canyon mouth as they walked back to the truck. I couldn't see everything, but I heard a total of 7 shots and then the pickup drove off in the direction of Mr. Big.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;">We were disappointed that they'd busted Mr. Big in such a clumsy way, but as D2 pointed out, if we'd shot any one of the 5 we were watching then Mr. Big would've busted too, and those guys wouldn't have gotten him (if they did). We figure they kind of owe us. Everyone has different ethics, and I know those guys were after meat not antlers, but, me, personally, I wouldn't have shot directly toward my buddies back at the pickup truck, like they did. Nor do I shoot at elk running away from me. I'm a 1-shot, the animal doesn't even know I'm there, kind of guy, but that's me.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;">We checked other canyons the next afternoon and found nothing.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><b>Day 3</b> was cold and windy and all we did was glass from the truck in the afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><b>Day 4,&nbsp;&nbsp;</b>we hiked up the mountain. We watched 3 bulls walk thru the timber in front of us followed to the rear by another hunter who never saw us. The bulls topped out on a ridge 350 yards away... about 50 yards too far for D2's 7mm-08 plus they were skylined and we don't shoot at anything that's skylined. One was a 6x6 with a busted tine whom we would've taken if we could've, a 5x5, and then a small rag horn bull. They went over the ridge and a few minutes later we heard shots. And more shots, And then more. Fifteen shots in all. Fifteen!!!! I bought my Browning .280 in 1989 and in that time have killed 10 big game animals with 12 shots. I missed once and my <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:state> deer needed a finishing shot. Later that day, we found a 5x5 bull that I videoed with my phone. We spent 30 minutes together inside 100 yards and D2 wouldn't had any trouble collecting him, had he wanted to.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NjrhZs2l104/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NjrhZs2l104?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><b>Day 5 </b>was this morning. We went back to my canyon and found no elk, although we did find mule deer, which we have not seen until now. Tired and hungry, we called it good and quit and then drove to town for a bacon cheeseburger.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;"><br /></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 3.7pt 0in;">So, 6 bull elk inside 200 yards, most of them less than 100 yards at some point. We found 2 that we would have taken if we could've but we didn't get the chance or didn't like the shot.&nbsp; D2's pretty happy. So am I. As I pointed out to him, if I'd taken the 6x6 Pond Elk at 11 am on Day 1 of Archery season and he'd taken any of the 5 on Day 1 of Rifle season, we'd had experienced 1 full day of elk hunting. Instead, we got to hunt for 7 days on my end and 3 full days on his end for a total of 10 full days of hunting, exploring, and learning. We decided that we like archery season a lot better than rifle season. It's quieter, the hunters don't blow the game out of the place, and the elk respond to calls. Except for 2 pronghorn doe hunts and a possible private land mule deer hunt, that's it for this year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-8281009320916695092017-05-23T05:49:00.000-06:002017-05-23T05:49:35.302-06:00Update on UrsaNow that 2 weeks have gone by since <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-blizzard-of-spring-2017.html" target="_blank">Winter Storm Ursa</a>&nbsp;I thought I'd update.<br /><br /><b>The Polaris Ranger</b><br />The Polaris Ranger XP 900 snapped 2 belts and destroyed the secondary clutch. &nbsp;My dilemma was whether to spend $400 for an updated and vastly improved aftermarket secondary or $1200 &nbsp;for a complete Duraclutch replacement. After some agonizing and talking to a guy who sells them, I decided to go with the Duraclutch. I'd been eyeballing them before this failure so this wasn't a fresh decision, but $1200 is still a lot of money. &nbsp;Here's their promo video:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T86TYPn5JvU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T86TYPn5JvU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br />The clutch came in and installation went well, thanks to the clutch puller I'd ordered with the kit. &nbsp;I snapped everything together and drove around the yard a little bit. &nbsp;There was a lot of noise at idle which went away as soon as I gave it some gas. Something was obviously rubbing. &nbsp;I started to just let things "break in", but no.... it kept nagging at me, so back up on the lift stands it went. I found that the rear edge of the housing was rubbing ever so slightly on the belt. When it gets power, the belt pulls into the secondary clutch (you can see this happen in the video) and clearance is then fine.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBtsqEsR7Yg/WSBF75SMviI/AAAAAAAADKs/UwqwEj8BpoY5Yykb8mRM9-kkpxFSznLagCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170510_124417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBtsqEsR7Yg/WSBF75SMviI/AAAAAAAADKs/UwqwEj8BpoY5Yykb8mRM9-kkpxFSznLagCLcB/s320/IMG_20170510_124417.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belt rubs at lower right</td></tr></tbody></table>How to get clearance at idle? &nbsp;There are no adjustments visible on the housing. Just to see if the clutch housing might move a little, I grabbed my rubber mallet and gave the top of the housing some taps. &nbsp;It didn't budge but guess what DID happen? &nbsp;A bunch of broken belt pieces fell out of the clutch exhaust housing. You see, the clutch and belt need airflow to keep things cool There's an intake under the seat- and this is how water gets in to places it's not supposed to go- and an exhaust port that comes up over the top of the engine. It was up this exhaust that the broken belt pieces went, some of them going all the way through and falling out on the engine.<br /><br />THIS explains why I was finding pieces of broken belt all over the place, why the broken belt smoke was so prevalent in the cab, and this may be why the second belt failed so quickly. &nbsp;I didn't know that pieces could get up there, didn't clean out the exhaust, was in a hurry trying to get it running so I could use it during storm clean-up, and pieces probably fell out from there onto the spinning 2nd belt, causing catastrophic failure. Thank goodness I listened to the nagging voice in my head and checked this or I might've caused failure in the $1200 Duraclutch, too. <br /><br />I removed the entire exhaust boot and cleaned it out, buttoned everything up, and felt a bit better about the situation. It still makes noise at idle, although not quite as much and I'm going to pop that clutch cover off once a week or so to look at things until I'm satisfied that it's going to be okay.<br /><br /><b>The Yamaha Grizzly</b><br /><b><br /></b>During the Blizzard, we checked the valves on the 2002 Grizzly 660 and found the intake to be a little tight. I'd had issues with hard starting- meaning, "physically hard starting" not "easy to turn over but just not starting" hard starting. The bike didn't idle very well until warm and smoked on start-up only. After adjusting the valves and putting in a new battery, the Griz starts immediately, doesn't smoke nearly as much, and idles much better. &nbsp;It _seems_ smoother. &nbsp;Might be my imagination, but I'll take it.<br /><br /><b>The Cattle On The Rocks</b><br /><b><br /></b>After the storm, we found 11 cattle stuck on a cliff. &nbsp;Here's that picture again, just to remind you:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-US8cGdG9FqU/WQ06GY7JdCI/AAAAAAAADEQ/nT5kyMMO7csAGDBcCWipuTdesnoyB3P9ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170503_103349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-US8cGdG9FqU/WQ06GY7JdCI/AAAAAAAADEQ/nT5kyMMO7csAGDBcCWipuTdesnoyB3P9ACLcB/s320/IMG_20170503_103349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 cattle are stuck here</td></tr></tbody></table>My decision was to leave them be and see what might happen. We went back again and again to check on them and two weeks later, all the cattle have worked their way off the rocks to the surrounding vegetation. &nbsp;There is one dead on the cliff, but she was dead when we first investigated.<br /><br />In this pasture, my count is coming up just 3-4 short which is not bad considering that I'm sometimes counting a group of 150+ shifting, moving, fidgeting cattle and could easily miscount.<br /><br /><b>The Hurting Knee</b><br /><b><br /></b>During the clean up, my left knee was really hurting. It was stiff and wouldn't bend and any kind of shock- like jumping off the pickup- shot shooting pain thru it. When we were climbing around on the rocks checking out the trapped cattle, I could barely move. I'd try to bend my knee and it just wouldn't bend or it would really, really hurt to do so. The knee suddenly and dramatically cleared up on Thurs and all was well...until Sunday, when my ankle started hurting. I have trouble with pseudogout and now I'm thinking that my <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2014/04/weak-in-knees.html" target="_blank">painful knees</a>&nbsp;might actually be pseudogout manifesting itself there. I'm definitely going to pay attention to see if knee pain precedes foot/ankle pain.&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot to do about pseudogout- it's actually worse than regular gout in that regards as there's not a food trigger. The manifestation is slower to show, lasts longer, and moves around. It will frequently move from my ankle to foot to toe and back in the course of an attack. On the upside, ibuprofen is fairly effective at reducing the pain. &nbsp;Nearly 2 weeks later, my foot's almost normal. &nbsp;Hoping it stays that way for awhile.<br /><br /><b>The Case 90XT Skid Steer</b><br /><b><br /></b>Prior to the blizzard, I'd managed to get water in the hydraulic system of the skid steer. &nbsp;I was adding some fluid from a bucket that had sitting outside (under cover, but still outside) and after a little oil poured and I was nearing the bottom of the bucket, it suddenly changed to milky and then clear. I was slow to react- having never had this issue before- and then I realized that I was pouring water into the oil. Arghhh...... &nbsp;All would've been fine had I had time to decide what to do, but no.... we needed the skid steer and needed it now. &nbsp;So, I ran it. During the 1st phase of the clean-up, things started squeaking and creaking, and I shut the machine down. &nbsp;Water will sink to the bottom, so after letting the skid steer sit overnight we got a long hose and siphoned some oil/water off the bottom of the oil pan, refilling that amount (about 2 gallons) with fresh oil.<br /><br />I investigated and finally found the oil drain plug. You'd think this would be easy to find, but skid steer manuals- and I have the $300 official shop manual- aren't really particularly helpful. &nbsp;By this time the Case had been sitting for a week and when I drained the pan (which wasn't that hard after I bought the required massive Allen socket), a good deal of milky white stuff came out, followed by clear oil. &nbsp;I drained 7 gallons (it holds 15) from the pan, and replaced it with 1 gallon along with a bottle of Sea Foam cleaners. Let that sit, then drove the trailered skid steer around the yard to slosh things around a bit. &nbsp;Drained that and again, a little milky stuff followed by clear oil. Repeat.<br /><br />I then decided that I should probably replace the hydraulic filter, too. Back to my trusty manual! &nbsp;Where IS the filter? &nbsp;Here's the illustration they provide:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8jl3PpbAFg/WSBRKY2iVlI/AAAAAAAADK8/p8biXveoTHMxyx7SwMhyYkWK1PJ95GfMgCLcB/s1600/Case%2Bhydraulic%2Bfilter%2Bworthless%2Bpicture.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8jl3PpbAFg/WSBRKY2iVlI/AAAAAAAADK8/p8biXveoTHMxyx7SwMhyYkWK1PJ95GfMgCLcB/s320/Case%2Bhydraulic%2Bfilter%2Bworthless%2Bpicture.gif" width="311" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Golly! &nbsp;That is SO helpful! &nbsp;Where IS this thing and HOW do you get to it? &nbsp;Finally, I figured that I'd probably have to pull the cab forward. &nbsp;So, we did that, using a couple of come-alongs to hold things down. I don't know if you've ever worked on skid steers, but there's a bunch of heavy stuff on them that if it falls, it's going to cut your head off. &nbsp;Literally. &nbsp;We got everything strapped down and ta-da!!! There's the filter! &nbsp;Now to get one. Local parts place, amazingly, has one. &nbsp;Cost is $55. This is not your average oil filter. &nbsp;It's also not that easy to get out, but get it out I did. And from the old filter, ran a little bit of milky oil, then clear. &nbsp;From the filter orifice ran more oil, this bunch clear from the get-go. &nbsp;All in all, we've probably got 8 gallons out of of 15 drained and, yup, it took right around 8 gallons to fill it all back up.<br /><br />We ran the machine for about an hour doing some general stuff and everything seemed good. Time will tell and I might periodically drain a gallon or so from the pan to see if it runs clear or contaminated. &nbsp;If there's any money left this fall, I might have it flushed and changed by someone who knows that they're doing. That's a big "if".<br /><br /><b>The Grass</b><br /><b><br /></b>For us, the whole point of "moisture", of course, is to grow grass for cattle to eat. &nbsp;Fat cattle = good sales prices = money in the bank = money to pay taxes, equipment breakdowns, dead wells, etc. = we might survive another year. I'm happy to report that Spring Storm Ursa did, indeed, leave some great moisture. &nbsp;Plus, we've had rain twice since then along with a few sunny days (also essential for grass production). &nbsp;Bottom line is a booming grass crop, possibly the best I've seen in 22 years of doing this.<br /><br />But, it's not even summer yet and it's going to be a long summer so there's no use counting chickens until they've been hatched and taken to market and you've got the check in hand. Plenty of time for counting when the dealing's done.<br /><br />Until next time.Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-22660805184238678342017-05-20T07:17:00.000-06:002017-05-20T07:19:28.674-06:00The Blizzard of Spring 2017<br />What a week it's been. We've just come through one of the worst snowstorms I've seen. The storm of Dec 2006 was worse in that it lasted for 3 solid days, but that was in December and you sort of expect snowstorms in December. &nbsp;April 29? &nbsp;Not so much. &nbsp;Here's how it played out.<br /><br /><b>Friday:</b><br />The weather forecast first called for this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bql0ljLVZO8/WQ0yFuEgZHI/AAAAAAAADCo/M1IqliJ-v04rr32MeZcI5pS-sAV1X8FmwCLcB/s1600/Weather%2Bforecast%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bql0ljLVZO8/WQ0yFuEgZHI/AAAAAAAADCo/M1IqliJ-v04rr32MeZcI5pS-sAV1X8FmwCLcB/s320/Weather%2Bforecast%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;Then it changed to this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x3xMlHHDPBc/WQ0yHjxlOTI/AAAAAAAADCs/EgizHpPKlRwo6dW3AIZdShM117BXOYr_QCLcB/s1600/Weather%2Bforecast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x3xMlHHDPBc/WQ0yHjxlOTI/AAAAAAAADCs/EgizHpPKlRwo6dW3AIZdShM117BXOYr_QCLcB/s320/Weather%2Bforecast.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><br />What was most worrying was the wind forecast. &nbsp;Snow and 30 mph winds are a bad mix. Especially in April. &nbsp;Did I mention that it was April? &nbsp;And not December or January? We're all acclimated and prepared for semi-warm weather, not Arctic Blast. &nbsp;Friday afternoon I headed out to find my cattle and see what they were doing. The cattle in the East and West Cedar Creeks had been there for a month and weathered some smaller storms. &nbsp;They knew where to go, but even so, I used the feed truck to drop a lot of feed near shelter to try to encourage them to stay there. &nbsp;The cattle in the East pasture, on the other hand, had only been here for a week, did not know the pasture well, and were not trained to feed. I did what I could and then hunkered down.<br /><br /><b>Saturday:</b><br />The weather forecast held and I awoke to a blizzard. &nbsp;It snowed hard throughout the day with high winds. Visibility was near zero. &nbsp;I tried to go out and check on things and couldn't see the road or the gate to leave the compound. &nbsp;I decided that leaving was not such a good idea. I checked on the cow/calves and horses in our backyard pasture and most of them were packed in under the shed which was probably the safest place for them to be. There was nothing much I could do besides that. We had 4 new calves and I figured it would be a miracle if any of them survived the storm.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjVCIgBFmVM/WQ0zUeypOrI/AAAAAAAADC8/IDJvthcPMGwXFm6hcuVh9fWZALms2sP2ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170429_065707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjVCIgBFmVM/WQ0zUeypOrI/AAAAAAAADC8/IDJvthcPMGwXFm6hcuVh9fWZALms2sP2ACLcB/s320/IMG_20170429_065707.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out the side door</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Cstuk1xLQM/WQ0zUAc2kGI/AAAAAAAADC4/dzlCrkHjnhgRLhcA5mfleLMilthwPt7wQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170429_074739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Cstuk1xLQM/WQ0zUAc2kGI/AAAAAAAADC4/dzlCrkHjnhgRLhcA5mfleLMilthwPt7wQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170429_074739.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cracked the door open and took this shot</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIvI4r3zMTo/WQ0zoCPqTBI/AAAAAAAADDA/bYSH3IJaOjIi7KcIeYqGZ0Xwv0gXtz2YwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170429_181934193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIvI4r3zMTo/WQ0zoCPqTBI/AAAAAAAADDA/bYSH3IJaOjIi7KcIeYqGZ0Xwv0gXtz2YwCLcB/s320/IMG_20170429_181934193.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way back to the house</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>Sunday</b>: (from here reports are as &nbsp;I wrote them... present tense).<br />As soon as I could, I got out for a look-see. Amazingly, at least 1 of the 4 calves born before the storm was alive. We did not see the other 3 but at least 1 new calf seemed to have been born in the shed where the cows took shelter and they look good. I drove around in the Polaris Ranger and did not see any other older calves but here's hoping they somehow made it. The creek is FULL of snow with drifts that are at least 10' deep in places.<br /><br />I could only make it to one pasture and those cattle looked good but they're the ones wi<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">th the creek with the trees. We're getting coffee and food and heading back out to the check the other pastures and do what we can do. Travel is extremely difficult- D2 is in the Ranger so in case I get the truck stuck we'll have a way to get home.</span>Neighbor's cattle are all over the road, in my pasture, everywhere. There's at least 6 dead piled up in a corner and I'm sure there'll be a lot more found.<br /><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The wind's still going 30 mph but at least it's not snowing more and so we do have some occasional sun and decent visibility. I've seen worse storms, but this is the worst I've seen this late in the year.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q2V5Yf4HLZ4/WQ01NHiyKMI/AAAAAAAADDg/xFY5xsO4kS8ZhDKBY06Amtqdc_3QzHi7gCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170429_181921225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q2V5Yf4HLZ4/WQ01NHiyKMI/AAAAAAAADDg/xFY5xsO4kS8ZhDKBY06Amtqdc_3QzHi7gCLcB/s320/IMG_20170429_181921225.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hawk house. &nbsp;Glad I brought the birds in.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPqQ8AjCZtc/WQ01DyWCzwI/AAAAAAAADDM/A90VLLAizuM9MQwSlexo_xtLQMyMWgR4wCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_073147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPqQ8AjCZtc/WQ01DyWCzwI/AAAAAAAADDM/A90VLLAizuM9MQwSlexo_xtLQMyMWgR4wCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_073147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday morning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1LwjnSZgyA/WQ01EdwgbPI/AAAAAAAADDQ/p_dFteSN_MIpOlUgGZm7QP6J523NxcYxQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_081506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1LwjnSZgyA/WQ01EdwgbPI/AAAAAAAADDQ/p_dFteSN_MIpOlUgGZm7QP6J523NxcYxQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_081506.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first live calf I saw, and this was the youngest, too.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Njh9S7nrELs/WQ01H6psHWI/AAAAAAAADDU/8RRjKDLaL_U0esEnpiXYlT2Neg6FK32_wCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_082829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Njh9S7nrELs/WQ01H6psHWI/AAAAAAAADDU/8RRjKDLaL_U0esEnpiXYlT2Neg6FK32_wCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_082829.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow in the creek bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eXP3p-Fc-xU/WQ01H6m0YKI/AAAAAAAADDY/ITDtHtehvEcoNiqq4geTvd-El2hNsgqQwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_091028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eXP3p-Fc-xU/WQ01H6m0YKI/AAAAAAAADDY/ITDtHtehvEcoNiqq4geTvd-El2hNsgqQwCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_091028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving down the road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y8W6G26sM20/WQ01KjQWHtI/AAAAAAAADDc/9_zgrPZpExc5GglK8kOC3AGFBU1FSS8eQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_093343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y8W6G26sM20/WQ01KjQWHtI/AAAAAAAADDc/9_zgrPZpExc5GglK8kOC3AGFBU1FSS8eQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_093343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding survivors</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />After the morning's expedition, D2 and I headed back out to check the other two pastures. I expected them to be worse and they were. We found piles of dead cattle- I stopped counting at 50 and I can't count those piled up underneath the drifts.<br /><br />When we went to the 3rd pasture, things got even worse. A neighbor's cattle had pushed thru our fence and I have probably 150 of his cattle on me. Again, at least 50 of those&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">were dead. Dead cattle just everywhere across the prairie. I didn't see any of my cattle dead but there were a bunch of cattle in our "Big Canyon" and getting any kind of head count was impossible.</span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> Then, while heading back from the far southeast corner, my Ranger started smoking and within a mile, POW!!!!, big cloud of rubber-smelling smoke. I am hoping it's just a drive belt- Polaris is notorious for blowing those. D2 towed me back to the road with his Yamaha Grizzly and then we went for the Chevy to pull the Ranger the rest of the way home to reduce stress on the Grizzly. We got to the Ranger fine but then got the Chevy stuck trying to make the turn from the pasture to the road. In the process of trying to pull the Chevy out with the Grizzly, I flipped over the bar and smacked my face on the rack, giving me a big fat upper lip and a couple of cuts. Didn't seem to knock any teeth loose, fortunately.<br /><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8H0aoa2vgSM/WQ02LFmNq1I/AAAAAAAADDs/7AP4bXBaiQUEm2SpJXPNkZaLobgzO2MuQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_122100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8H0aoa2vgSM/WQ02LFmNq1I/AAAAAAAADDs/7AP4bXBaiQUEm2SpJXPNkZaLobgzO2MuQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_122100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical dead yearling</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6kPZFqH88s/WQ02LHXnVHI/AAAAAAAADDo/HTq1mx9NUIcRwkXKa_t8pi9RkajoyRvNACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_133957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6kPZFqH88s/WQ02LHXnVHI/AAAAAAAADDo/HTq1mx9NUIcRwkXKa_t8pi9RkajoyRvNACLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_133957.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This turned out to be 35 dead cattle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5mEsMeM4Ins/WQ02LCTbR9I/AAAAAAAADDw/V9fVLGCNjNEE2M-9ByYlAQ4qSWKN8fCrACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170430_165856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5mEsMeM4Ins/WQ02LCTbR9I/AAAAAAAADDw/V9fVLGCNjNEE2M-9ByYlAQ4qSWKN8fCrACLcB/s320/IMG_20170430_165856.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Towing the dead Ranger home</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Back at the house, we decided to go look for the 1 known missing calf now that the snow was melting fast. No luck, but as we came over a rise, I spotted a cow calving. We rode over to check and found the calf still-born and the cow with a prolapsed uterus. Called a neighbor for help and managed to get the uterus back in. Whether the cow will live, I don't know. So far, we've lost half our personal calf crop. I'm guessing we lost 50-75 yearlings, my neighbors lost that many on me, and that's just the immediate loss. No telling how many will die from post-storm stress.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Tomorrow's job is to see if I can fix the Ranger (I have an extra belt), start trying to get a headcount on live/dead, and start moving cattle back to their correct pasture. We've got fences to fix too. Everyone's in the same boat. My neighbor to the north had cattle walking the highway as well as 100+ in our backyard pasture. He's got at least 20 dead that I saw. Neighbor to the east has 150+ on me and at least 50 dead- sometimes all I saw were hooves sticking out of 15' deep snowdrifts. And so on.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The moisture is fantastic, but it came at a high cost.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b> Monday</b>:<br />We worked on the Ranger in the morning. As I suspected/hoped, the problem was a broken belt. I had a brand-new belt on the wall ($175 for these things...) so I cleaned the clutch and popped the new belt on. All's well, right? Well, no. I ran an order of my new T-shirts to the mailbox and on the way back, POW!!!, Black Smoke!!!. Dead again. I just parked the Ranger, grabbed my tried-true, trusty-crusty 2002 Grizzly, and we started counting cattle in the East pasture (5,000 acres).<br /><br />Just as Sunday's triage showed, we found lots of my neighbor's cattle- about 100 of them alive and over 50 dead. I didn't find any dead of our cattle but came up 30 short on the count. They're either in my south neighbor's pasture or they're in The Big Canyon. The Big Canyon is a deep, steep, rough canyon where cattle rarely venture. In fact, I rarely see _anything_ in there. Any deer or elk in the bottom is trapped with no side exit as the sides are too steep and rocky to get up. It's cat country and my mother and some of her guests once jumped a mountain lion out of it, something of which I'm kind of jealous since I've never seen a lion myself and want to. Anyway.... The Big Canyon is full of big boulders and it's hard to walk in. There's cattle in there. Dead or alive, I don't know yet.<br /><br />About 1/2 way thru the East pasture, my Grizzly started pulling hard so I checked it out and.... flat tire. I haven't had a flat tire in years so of course today would be the day. I left D2 to finish checking the pasture while I rode side-saddle back to the house for repairs. I was still working on it (turned out to be a bead leak) when he arrived with only an additional 5 head counted, leaving us 30 short.<br />After some thinking and research, I pulled the Ranger apart again and found a much more serious problem than just a broken belt- the secondary clutch is destroyed. Trying to decide now whether to go with the $400 EBR replacement clutch or the full blown $1200 Duraclutch. Either way, it's a hassle and it's going to be awhile before I trust the Ranger to be reliable.<br /><br />On the upside, 2 more of Derek's cows calved yesterday which leaves us with just one to go. Plus, northern neighbors driving their cattle home from 10 miles down the road, came thru and we sorted out about 50 of theirs from my backyard calving pasture (300 acres) and put them all thru the gate. That was an unexpected bonus and now the calving pasture is clean. On the downside, the cow that had the stillborn and prolapsed uterus is not doing good. I will be amazed if she survived the night. But then I said it would be a miracle if any of the calves survived the storm and it looks like 3 out of 4 did. So, maybe I'll be amazed again.<br /><br />My friend&nbsp;<span style="color: #365899;"><span style="cursor: pointer;"><a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2016/04/hanging-with-heather.html" target="_blank">Heather</a>'s</span></span>&nbsp;friend John came down from Denver with a horse and his own Yamaha Grizzly to help us out. &nbsp;He arrived in the evening just as we were finishing up sorting out neighbor's cattle from the north and putting them back. &nbsp;We all got acquainted and situated and ready for the next day.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ELjThOh2ic/WQ04vnCZvtI/AAAAAAAADEA/GRvYNvrZBWonAcxKj2mosznLfPRFuo3AQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170501_091206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ELjThOh2ic/WQ04vnCZvtI/AAAAAAAADEA/GRvYNvrZBWonAcxKj2mosznLfPRFuo3AQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170501_091206.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is shredded Ranger belt #2.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCdv54LXMOI/WQ04vh3Cd1I/AAAAAAAADEE/f8YU_zvfPzsrGXxpr8LqXLrE0xCEKbyigCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170501_184821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCdv54LXMOI/WQ04vh3Cd1I/AAAAAAAADEE/f8YU_zvfPzsrGXxpr8LqXLrE0xCEKbyigCLcB/s320/IMG_20170501_184821.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we have a completely destroyed secondary clutch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>Tuesday</b>:<br />The cattle owners came and did a count for us in the West and East Cedar Creek pastures (5,000 acres each), while we started sorting out the East pasture. The counts came out pretty good in the Cedar Creeks with just 5 dead but about 30 short in the East. John and Derek and I sorted 60 head out and returned them to their pasture in the morning, putting 30-40 miles on each of our ATV's. While the owners looked through the East for themselves, we all loaded up gear and went to fix a fence on the highway where someone had flown off a curve and through the fence. With that done, we all met back at the house to the news that the owners had found 11 head of cattle stranded on a rock slide. John and Derek went for a look-see while I stayed back to work on my Grizzly which was beginning to have trouble starting. After everyone's return, we decided to leave the cattle alone overnight to see if they'd work their way off the slope on their own. The snow was melting fast and that might open up some routes for them.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-US8cGdG9FqU/WQ06GY7JdCI/AAAAAAAADEQ/nT5kyMMO7csAGDBcCWipuTdesnoyB3P9ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170503_103349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-US8cGdG9FqU/WQ06GY7JdCI/AAAAAAAADEQ/nT5kyMMO7csAGDBcCWipuTdesnoyB3P9ACLcB/s320/IMG_20170503_103349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cattle were stuck on this rock slide</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tn3rqXJmOB4/WQ06GlBqpnI/AAAAAAAADEU/32tzkUnTei8gJK1W-S0KScrGTv4rgWt-QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170503_112024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tn3rqXJmOB4/WQ06GlBqpnI/AAAAAAAADEU/32tzkUnTei8gJK1W-S0KScrGTv4rgWt-QCLcB/s320/IMG_20170503_112024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John checks out a heifer. &nbsp;We were able to push her out<br />of slide area to vegetation.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjTwPFfdSs4/WQ06LS-V5PI/AAAAAAAADEg/6Cu1FOZrbEohwbBki-Yo_S_dD3WPYBa2QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170503_114517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjTwPFfdSs4/WQ06LS-V5PI/AAAAAAAADEg/6Cu1FOZrbEohwbBki-Yo_S_dD3WPYBa2QCLcB/s320/IMG_20170503_114517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was high centered on a boulder.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vDE1dZdQheY/WQ06LEzGj5I/AAAAAAAADEc/fI0hUIK9ylkfdGlnB-Rup9Xb5EFYXhBUQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170503_122134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vDE1dZdQheY/WQ06LEzGj5I/AAAAAAAADEc/fI0hUIK9ylkfdGlnB-Rup9Xb5EFYXhBUQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170503_122134.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is just stuck on a ledge with a drop-off on all sides</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Wednesday</b>:</div>Derek went to check on the cliff cattle first thing this morning while John and I worked on my Grizzly. He &nbsp;reported back with the good news that 6 had indeed found their way to the bottom, leaving 5 stuck on the slope.<br /><br />After fixing the&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Grizzly- the battery was the problem but we checked and adjusted valves, too- we all motored out to check out the situation. We ended up getting one yearling unstuck from a bush where she was totally hung up. That didn't get her off the rocks, but it did get her access to some snow where she'll get moisture. We managed to push/drive 2 more head thru the rocks to the edges and they'll make their way to the bottom before long. The other 3, however, are just absolutely stuck. They either panic or they try to fight, neither of which is a good thing. One needs to go down and wants to go up, the other needs to go up and will only go down. The third is just stuck between big boulders and a 10' sheer rock wall. So, again, my suggestion was to just leave them and see if they'll move on their own. Shy of them moving on their own or a helicopter, I don't know if it's possible to get them out of the rocks. These are 500-600 lb cattle. Can't just throw them on your shoulder and walk out.</span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>We rode around a bit more and found 15-20 hemmed in by snowdrifts and a cliff, but they have grass and water, so they'll be okay until the snow melts. There's a yearling stuck in a snowdrift but she's on her feet and has water so the best thing to do is just let the snow melt.<br /><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">With that, the most pressing things were more or less under control. John headed home in the afternoon. &nbsp;He was a tremendous help and cut our workload in half.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">My knees hurt, my eyes hurt, I'm tired. Gonna lay these weary ol' bones down for a bit.</div><br /><b>Thursday</b>:<br />Spent the morning catching up on some maintenence and then buried cattle from 11 am to 6 pm. We started off with a borrowed backhoe but I quickly switched to my Case 90XT skid steer. I dug and dug and dug and dug and then pushed and pushed and pushed and covered and covered and covered. Then moved on to the next spot. I started having trouble with the Case and quit to keep it from getting worse. &nbsp;About a month ago, I added some hydraulic fluid and much to my horror discovered that water had gotten into the container. I added about 2 cups of pure water to the system and that's contaminated the oil. After getting good and warm, this bad oil was making various pumps and lift squeak badly and lose power, so I quit a little early to keep from ruining something.All in all, we buried 45 head today and have about that number to go tomorrow.<br /><br />My knees still hurt.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTWa6z9l7Xo/WQ08nRHAthI/AAAAAAAADE0/uwJt2jVRiIY7QdFyJ6DUF-_NW--Ce8nkQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170502_143250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTWa6z9l7Xo/WQ08nRHAthI/AAAAAAAADE0/uwJt2jVRiIY7QdFyJ6DUF-_NW--Ce8nkQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170502_143250.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead cattle- 15 here plus a raven.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O99XiRycwc8/WQ08no-dnFI/AAAAAAAADE4/1k-CdoYV3mUlyWpuaUSJPqHy1vNIaq0bQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170502_143822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O99XiRycwc8/WQ08no-dnFI/AAAAAAAADE4/1k-CdoYV3mUlyWpuaUSJPqHy1vNIaq0bQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170502_143822.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35 dead in this corner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEJtk5EOnlw/WQ08nxa5YCI/AAAAAAAADE8/ps19VEHCyc8axc0B5n52DpDngDLntjP7QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170504_145908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEJtk5EOnlw/WQ08nxa5YCI/AAAAAAAADE8/ps19VEHCyc8axc0B5n52DpDngDLntjP7QCLcB/s320/IMG_20170504_145908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The funeral was well-attended</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWBkoJwly8s/WQ08pYcwB4I/AAAAAAAADFA/H9tPMusDCxQYgXC0XiPpIKqpkSBdWcLIwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170504_160541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWBkoJwly8s/WQ08pYcwB4I/AAAAAAAADFA/H9tPMusDCxQYgXC0XiPpIKqpkSBdWcLIwCLcB/s320/IMG_20170504_160541.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Friday:</b></div>We started the morning by using a hand suction pump to pull hydraulic oil out of the skid steer. &nbsp;Water sinks in oil and my reasoning was that by sucking from the bottom of the pan, I could eliminate some of the worst contamination. &nbsp;I'd then fill back up with fresh oil. I'm using premium hydraulic fluid which is supposed to keep water in suspension while in operation but I knew it would separate out after sitting all night. Sure enough, the first couple of gallons were milky and water-laden, but as we drained more, it started looking more like oil. &nbsp;I added 4 gallons of fresh oil and then we had to get to work. The move seemed to work, though, as the poor skid steer worked all day without any complaint. ASAP, though, I'll completely drain and change the oil.<br /><br />I put 55 cattle in the ground this morning in two different holes. We went out and checked on the cliff bound cattle and there's only 2 left up there. One seems to have figured her way out. Another one is close- she's right at a small rock slide and can probably get over the rim. If I had 3 cowboy/rock climbers and at least 2 ropes, one of which would be an industrial tow rope hooked to a pickup truck, I think I would co<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">uld pull her up right now. She might also come up on her own, which is what I'm hoping for. I'm going to give them one more day and then make a decision as to what to do.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hQ_Y6WCOwZo/WQ0-NjJkkeI/AAAAAAAADFQ/sY8tlHKjd1wNfddZyvSKqGWVi-vEU7_1ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170505_093131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hQ_Y6WCOwZo/WQ0-NjJkkeI/AAAAAAAADFQ/sY8tlHKjd1wNfddZyvSKqGWVi-vEU7_1ACLcB/s320/IMG_20170505_093131.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday morning's pit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LuiyYDKsaP0/WQ0-Npc66lI/AAAAAAAADFU/f9wnxbTv8oMVkQVYxz-jwmvCXieINm9UgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170505_101355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LuiyYDKsaP0/WQ0-Npc66lI/AAAAAAAADFU/f9wnxbTv8oMVkQVYxz-jwmvCXieINm9UgCLcB/s320/IMG_20170505_101355.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filled with 45 dead cattle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEMo5beW_ww/WQ0-NU4rgNI/AAAAAAAADFM/_MlXPnBbehs5BauMdo6s1hjSFurJUuz1ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170505_102412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEMo5beW_ww/WQ0-NU4rgNI/AAAAAAAADFM/_MlXPnBbehs5BauMdo6s1hjSFurJUuz1ACLcB/s320/IMG_20170505_102412.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covered up</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>With that, I think we're done with clean-up.&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is by far the single greatest disaster I've had in 21 seasons of ranching, although a couple of other times came close. I wrote about one of these <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-worst-day-ranching-so-far.html" target="_blank">here</a>. In another, in one of the early years, a pasture of cattle got hooked on locoweed and I was pulling 5-10 off pasture every week and putting them in lockdown. The difference is that they weren't dead and some of them were sold at salvage price. A loss, but not a total loss. We ended up pulling about 125 head from a 300 head pasture due to locoweed poisoning.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> Disasters happen. But Spring Storm Ursa was the worst and was certainly the most work cleaning up afterwards.Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-23481723171748657012017-03-23T08:37:00.002-06:002017-03-25T08:21:05.658-06:00The Adventures of The Little Fanny PackFrom a Facebook post, 3/23/2015:<br /><br />This is a story about a little black and white Sierra Designs fanny pack. It is a sad story. I recommend you get the tissues out. You see, The Little Fanny Pack lived happily for years next to its owner's desk. It didn't get in the way and it didn't bother anyone. It served faithfully to carry water bottles, fishing license, and concealed carry handguns when needed. All was well and right in the world. Then, one day, The Lady of The House decided to put The Little Fanny<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;Pack "where it belonged". After awhile The Little Fanny Pack's owner went looking for it. But it was nowhere to be found. And The Lady of The House could not remember The Little Fanny Pack, let alone where she put The Little Fanny Pack. The owner of The Little Fanny Pack spent hours searching high and low for his trusty friend, even enlisting the aid of his son and offering a reward. Alas! Somewhere, in some dark, lonely corner of the evil, unfriendly world, The Little Fanny Pack remains lost, alone, and forsaken. Its owner mourns for the lost Little Fanny Pack. The night darkens and the sun's heat loses out to the dark as we bring this little tale to an end.</span><br /><br />If you see a little black fanny pack, please... drive him home.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PFRQOztuh04/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PFRQOztuh04?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Mick's looking for his little red rooster. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;">--------------------</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GQWXwuICcfw/WNPb2frgzrI/AAAAAAAAC3E/Z8j0eGk-HPw2M77qwcb98ppVlKXLRA0agCEw/s1600/The%2Blittle%2Bfanny%2Bpack%2Bposts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GQWXwuICcfw/WNPb2frgzrI/AAAAAAAAC3E/Z8j0eGk-HPw2M77qwcb98ppVlKXLRA0agCEw/s320/The%2Blittle%2Bfanny%2Bpack%2Bposts.png" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comments</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">--------------------</span><br /><br />THE LITTLE FANNY PACK HAS BEEN RESCUED!!!!!<br /><br />Late last night, as I tossed and turned in bed, a vision came to me. Leaping from the covers (in my flannel PJ's, I should add, as I've to come to like sleeping warm w/ fewer covers as opposed to light with more covers, but maybe this is TMI....) I raced to the location. Gearing up with gloves and lights and a safety rope, I plunged into the depths of The Gun Closet and there, nearly suffocated beneath the weight of piles and piles of Predator Camo, shoved ignominiously into a corner of The Hunting Clothes Duffle Bag, was The Little Fanny Pack.<br /><br />I wept, shouted for joy, and then returned the The Little Fanny Pack to it's rightful place next to my desk with Firm Instructions to The Lady of The House to never touch The Little Fanny Pack again. She casually pointed out that she never goes into The Gun Closet, let alone The Hunting Clothes Duffle Bag, therefore it is unlikely that She put The Little Fanny Pack there. No!!! Say it's not true! It was not I who put The Little Fanny Pack there! No!!! Oh, the horror!<br /><br />Oddly, I see that The Little Fanny Pack is actually a "High Sierra" and not a "Sierra Designs". Hmmmm....<br /><br />In any case, the sun shines and the world is right again. Thank you for your concern, thoughts, prayers, good vibes, and generous offers of large amounts of cash as I went through this difficult time.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ck1MrMyVdaY/WNPb2G5qbYI/AAAAAAAAC28/5nzGJI7cVIk-1EeDEH0CsIUyUp_XQFipACEw/s1600/the%2Blittle%2Bfanny%2Bpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ck1MrMyVdaY/WNPb2G5qbYI/AAAAAAAAC28/5nzGJI7cVIk-1EeDEH0CsIUyUp_XQFipACEw/s320/the%2Blittle%2Bfanny%2Bpack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Little Fanny Pack, safe again</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-84082591833259416532017-03-01T18:07:00.000-07:002017-03-03T19:06:53.584-07:00Elk Adventure 2016Back in 2014, I got <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2014/10/elk-adventure-2014.html" target="_blank">my first bull elk</a>&nbsp;and before too long, #2 Son, affectionately called D2, was wrathy (*) to kill an elk so we put in for the draw to see what would happen. &nbsp;Nothing happened in 2015, but in '16, he drew for bull elk in our home unit. &nbsp;Yeah! &nbsp;Life went on for the summer and we were looking forward to the hunt. Then in August, <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-collarbone-incident.html" target="_blank">I broke my collarbone</a>&nbsp;and all of a sudden our elk plans were in limbo. &nbsp;The problem, you see, is that it's awfully hard to pack an elk out off the top of a mountain when you can't put any pack pressure on your broken shoulder. But, as it worked out, the doctor cleared me for "light exercise" the day before our hunt. Fortunately, he did not define "light exercise" (and I didn't ask for a definition).<br /><br />D2 and I talked it over and we decided to give our immediate area a good scouting before heading up on the mountain. We'd been seeing elk all summer long in our creek and on nearby State land and I felt our chances were good, although I met with skepticism among other individuals. Nevertheless, on opening morning, we were up and looking. &nbsp;I drove down a neighbor's road that faced a rimrock wall I wanted to scout and almost immediately D2 and I both spotted 3 elk walking away, about a mile across a flat. Binoculars told me they were all bulls and one of them was pretty decent. Regardless of size (can't eat antlers, remember), they were bull elk in our backyard. We waited for them go around around a point in the rimrock and then we parked, geared up, and went after them.<br /><br />We walked fairly quickly across the prairie and then climbed to where they'd disappeared at which point we started moving along much slower and doing a lot of glassing. I really expected to find the bulls bedded down in some timber back in a little bowl, but no luck. We spent until about noon working our way carefully around the rim where we found some bedded mule deer but no elk. &nbsp;Where'd they go!? &nbsp;We decided to go back for lunch and then I laid down for a nap. While napping and thinking about it, I figured the elk had to go into a little canyon on our property. I figured that instead of working around the rim like we'd done, that once they were in the open, they'd probably just trotted across a 1/2 mile open section. There are plenty of dips and drops in that section and they'd be easy to miss. &nbsp;That was the only place I could think of that wasn't visible from our earlier position and it was a nice sheltered canyon, an important thing since the wind was now up to about 20 mph. &nbsp;So, about 2-3 pm, we headed back out to check it out. &nbsp;I went down the same road as earlier and glassed every little pocket I could find. D2 was soon-to-be-a-teenager pessimistic but I am an old dog and much more persistent. &nbsp;And then... back in the suspected canyon, I spotted an elk. I couldn't tell bull or cow, but "bull" was a good gamble since I haven't seen a cow elk in this area all summer.<br /><br />Plotting the situation, I decided to drive back to the north and come through our pasture to approach the canyon from the east. &nbsp;That would put the wind in our favor and give us the canyon rim to stalk off of. &nbsp;The plan was executed and D2 and I soon found ourselves crawling on hands and knees through cholla cactus to the rim. At the rim there was a bush to the left, an open space, and a juniper tree. I picked the bush and the instant we got there, I spotted a small bull elk bedded down on the opposite canyon wall. There should be 3 bulls in total, though, and it was important to find them all before moving. &nbsp;Leaving D2 in position, I inched back away from the wall, over to the side, and under the juniper and there, right below me, was the biggest bull, feeding on grass in the bottom.<br /><br />I motioned to D2 and he crawled back and over and was soon in position. We had a perfect shot- 75 yards almost straight down on the bull's back. D2 was shooting a 7mm-08 with 139 gr Hornady bullets which are on the light side for elk. &nbsp;We needed a great position and we were in it. &nbsp;Plus, it would be a pretty easy hike out of the canyon to the truck, an important consideration with my gimpy collarbone. &nbsp;If the bull had been a big 6x6, this would've been the most perfect shot ever, but, hey, you can't eat antlers and he was a very respectable bull so I told D2 to take the shot. He did and the bull staggered forward, giving us a perfect angle for a 2nd shot, which I told him to take. At the 2nd shot, the bull dropped, rolled, and was still. <br /><br />The other 2 bulls jumped up, trotted down the canyon, jumped the fence, and then stood there staring. &nbsp;They couldn't smell us and all they knew as a loud noise had just happened. After a few minutes, they trotted off and we gave high 5's. We then called Mom and asked her to bring the Ranger. I'm not sure why we did that, since we had a pickup at the top of the canyon, but I wanted her to be with us when we walked down to the elk.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UykJdLHvYmA/WLGeuDN2BmI/AAAAAAAACzM/RsHZWOSh1xYg-4mjDGmIPdulWpc9FBOawCPcB/s1600/IMG_20161008_180325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UykJdLHvYmA/WLGeuDN2BmI/AAAAAAAACzM/RsHZWOSh1xYg-4mjDGmIPdulWpc9FBOawCPcB/s320/IMG_20161008_180325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D2's first elk</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mom arrived and we explained the situation. We all walked down to the fallen giant and admired it. Then I dropped the bombshell...."We're going to need lights and stuff..." &nbsp;I suppose I should've had her just bring them the first time, but the Ranger's easy to drive around so I didn't think it a big deal. Mom headed off for gear and D2 and I started butchering the elk. I have a little rule about "Don't shoot an elk past 2 pm" and we violated that rule big time and were now going to pay the price as it was getting dark, fast. Fortunately, we did have our own personal lights and before long we were cutting up elk in the pitch dark and falling temperatures. Eventually, lights appeared at the head of the canyon. &nbsp;Mom was back.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9AnjKia3-Q/WLdrjzg0ZgI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/kZAjItolHtY1NbiMBw4KaIflHQobJb8TQCEw/s1600/IMG_20161008_185035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9AnjKia3-Q/WLdrjzg0ZgI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/kZAjItolHtY1NbiMBw4KaIflHQobJb8TQCEw/s320/IMG_20161008_185035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D2 did most of the butchering himself since I was pretty much one-armed</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After she made her way down the rocky, trail-less canyon to us, we hatched a pack-out strategy. Normally, I'd bone out all the meat and pack just meat 'cause those elk bones are heavy, but given that the Ranger was just 0.2 mile away (300 yards!), I decided to tough it out and pack quarters in my most excellent Horn Hunter Full Curl pack. We loaded up a hind quarter, Mom took backstraps in another pack, and D2 threw a front quarter over his shoulder. After the other helped me stand up under my heavier than expected load, we started out in the pitch dark, trying to find a path of some sort through the rocks and brush.<br /><br />Earlier, while at the elk, we'd talked about mountain lions (they've been spotted in these canyons several times). &nbsp;Because I had my hands full with my super heavy pack, I gave Mom my Bersa .380 pistol to carry "just in case". D2 was leading, with his headlamp lighting the way when he suddenly stopped and threw his rifle up. &nbsp;"Cat!", he whispered. The kid knows the difference between cat eyeshine and others and I believed him. "I think it's a bobcat", he said. We made sure and then proceeded onwards.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9ujonoRk-4/WLdrf_C2D4I/AAAAAAAAC1M/zJwvnjqGrQsehYpFDnywU-g6z48ZEGpngCEw/s1600/IMG_20161008_220416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9ujonoRk-4/WLdrf_C2D4I/AAAAAAAAC1M/zJwvnjqGrQsehYpFDnywU-g6z48ZEGpngCEw/s320/IMG_20161008_220416.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing some "light exercise" in the dark</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At the last steep section to the Ranger, I couldn't get my feet off the ground so Mom pushed my pack up while I took a step. D2 went ahead to the Ranger and dropped off his load, then came back and got Mom's pack while she continued to help me. Eventually, we made it to the Ranger and downed appreciated bottles of water. &nbsp;While there, I said "Where's my pistol?" &nbsp;Mom slapped her pockets and came up blank. It was lost somewhere on the trail. I was not happy, but I did figure that I could come back during the day and find it, so we set off down the canyon again. This time, we took our time and did, in fact, find a trail of sorts. About halfway down, D2 stepped on something hard and metallic- my pistol! &nbsp;Yes! &nbsp;I was happy now.<br /><br />Approaching the elk, we caught the eye shine again. The bobcat had moved down the canyon and was about 50 yards up the slope from our elk. Under the cover of darkness, he was totally unafraid of us so, just to give him (and any other cat in the area) a little warning, I fired a shot from my freshly-found pistol in his approximate direction. That sent him hustling and we watched him go up the canyon into some rocks and disappear.<br /><br />Another staggering trip later, we had all the meat back at the truck and headed home. "Tired" doesn't even begin to describe me. I took a hot bubble bath and collapsed in bed. Sunday was church and on Monday, we we butchered the elk meat off the bones and cooked some up. There is nothing better than elk meat, let me tell you.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cuBFrP_rq0A/WLohD1342qI/AAAAAAAAC1s/Je0YUdEyjPcNdRC7HzAC9AGOLo5ntg5mgCLcB/s1600/burgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cuBFrP_rq0A/WLohD1342qI/AAAAAAAAC1s/Je0YUdEyjPcNdRC7HzAC9AGOLo5ntg5mgCLcB/s1600/burgers.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Venison, pronghorn, elk burgers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In '17, I've put in for archery elk and mule deer while D2 has put in for rifle bull and cow elk and mule deer. &nbsp;I want an archery big game animal and he wants a big bull elk and big mule deer and is willing to pass smaller ones up. Stay tuned!<br /><br />(*) the term "wrathy" is one I've been using recently and it generates a lot of comments from people who've never heard it. &nbsp;It comes from this passage from "<a href="http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5816/" target="_blank">Bear Hunting in Tennessee</a>" by Davy Crockett:<br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a4592; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">When my lead dog found him, and raised the yell, all the rest broke to him, but none of them entered his house until we got up. I encouraged my dogs, and they knowed me so well, that I could have made them seize the old serpent himself, with all his horns and heads, and cloven foot and ugliness into the bargain, if he would only have come to light, so that they could have seen him. They bulged in, and in an instant the bear followed them out, and I told my friend to shoot him, <b>as he was mighty wrathy to kill a bear</b>. He did so, and killed him prime. We carried him to our camp, by which time my son had returned; and after we got our dinners we packed up, and cut for the house of my old friend, whose name was Davidson.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a4592; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-86209256228969046902017-02-25T08:47:00.002-07:002017-02-25T19:31:50.220-07:00The Collarbone IncidentThis is the longest I've ever gone between blog updates and it's time to catch up. &nbsp;The biggest news is that I broke my collarbone on Aug 28 and had to have it plated and screwed. How did that happen, you ask? &nbsp;Dirt bikes is how. &nbsp;If you've been following me, you know that Derek wanted to start riding dirt bikes, so I made it happen in Jan '16 by buying a set of bikes for us- a Honda CRF150F for him and a Yamaha TT-R 230 for me. &nbsp;We sampled the dirt biking world, riding in the open area of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKgiZccqwpE" target="_blank">Canadian River</a>, the mountains around <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2016/06/high-altitude-is-good-for-attitude.html" target="_blank">Red River</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HI6mbgZUdo" target="_blank">our own creek</a>, and around our little home-made track. &nbsp;After all this, we decided that the mountains were our least favorite simply because of the distance and time required to get there and we like track riding best, followed by the Canadian River.<br /><br />Derek was getting better on the bike and I suggested we look into getting better (read "faster and better suspended") bikes. &nbsp;Which we did, by buying a '15 KX100 and '16 KX250F brand-new from Hester's Motosports in Raton. &nbsp;Here's our first ride on them- Derek's first time ever actually kick-starting a bike (the Honda was electric start), first time on a 2-stroke, and 1st time on a real motocross track. This was just a quick break-in ride on the way home from the shop. &nbsp;Before you critique, Derek's real riding gear was sitting at home in a box- he's wearing full padding underneath his street clothes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AqdR0gDOPuE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AqdR0gDOPuE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br />Two days after this, we went back to the track to actually ride. &nbsp;I was super-impressed with the KX250F and was quickly making all the jumps except for two doubles. &nbsp;If you don't know what a "double" is, it's a gap jump where you leave one jump face, cross a gap, and land on the next jump face. There's not much margin for error on these things. But, my KX250F can easily do them, so after a little practice and concentration, I went for it. &nbsp;I cleared the easier of the two- a 50' gap- easily and then went after the harder of the two. This one has a much more pointed landing ramp but it's the same distance.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7X8cZgc-CDQ/WLGXzLtqaiI/AAAAAAAACyk/fp0jTNRanVgdaRmDvEP9QEcrYwh8klMtQCLcB/s1600/Jump.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7X8cZgc-CDQ/WLGXzLtqaiI/AAAAAAAACyk/fp0jTNRanVgdaRmDvEP9QEcrYwh8klMtQCLcB/s320/Jump.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The double jump</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I reared back, gave it gas, and poooooommmmm..... cleared the landing ramp by 10'! &nbsp;The hard thing about this is that there's a bowl turn immediately after the ramp and when you land there, it's kind of a harsh landing. &nbsp;The best thing to do is land on the landing ramp. So, Jump #2, I did that. &nbsp;Jump #3, I did that. &nbsp;Jump #4.... I came out of the darkness, wondering how long I'd been lying there, what day of the week it was, and did anyone know I was there? &nbsp;Then I felt a burning pain in my right shoulder and I knew I'd broken my collarbone. There was no way around it. Here's the thing (there's always a "thing", right?). The previous night I'd had a dream where I'd broken my collarbone and in the dream I thought "Oh well, everyone breaks their collarbone!" &nbsp;Then, Georgia didn't want to go to the track with us because she had a bad cough and I said "You'd better go because you might need to drive me to the hospital." &nbsp;Of course, I didn't tell her either of these things until afterwards.<br /><br />So, I woke up in the dirt. &nbsp;My bike was over there, my helmet camera mount was there, and the camera (loose from the mount!) was yonder. &nbsp;Something went wrong. &nbsp;What, I don't know. &nbsp;I just remember heading toward the jump. Well, it'll be cool video anyway. &nbsp;But guess what I found out? &nbsp;The camera switch wasn't on, so no video of the crash. &nbsp;Georgia was reading a book. She missed it. &nbsp;Derek was on the other side of the track. He missed it. &nbsp;I firmly believe that I was abducted by aliens while mid-flight, tested for intelligence, virility, good looks, and common sense and then rudely slammed back to Earth hard enough to knock the memory from my head. &nbsp;Georgia and Derek arrived and helped me up, &nbsp;I made it back to the pit area and, fortuitously, a relative of the track owner happened along just then. He helped load the bikes up and then we were off to the Emergency Room.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E0GOA-g-MgE/WLGXxQHvc1I/AAAAAAAACyg/GALfHnbgdW4YL7egETPjXAIDvmZ9mG9bACLcB/s1600/post%2Bcrash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E0GOA-g-MgE/WLGXxQHvc1I/AAAAAAAACyg/GALfHnbgdW4YL7egETPjXAIDvmZ9mG9bACLcB/s320/post%2Bcrash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to the ER!</td></tr></tbody></table>At the ER, I got X-rayed and here's what we found:<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x-wBrlw7Rtw/WLGXvNYEfHI/AAAAAAAACyU/468xY9xBW3o8eUDJERx6gczhYuxTiI_iwCLcB/s1600/1st%2Bxray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x-wBrlw7Rtw/WLGXvNYEfHI/AAAAAAAACyU/468xY9xBW3o8eUDJERx6gczhYuxTiI_iwCLcB/s320/1st%2Bxray.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First X-ray</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, no doubt about it now. &nbsp;That's a break. At first it looks like 3 pieces of bone with a gap in between, but after they got put back together, I saw that wasn't the case as we'll see in a minute. The crash happened Saturday. Monday, we got an appointment with Christos St. Vincent Sports Orthopedics in Santa Fe for Weds. By the time Tues rolled around, this is what I looked like:<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAsSwtWsugM/WLGXu5VnWEI/AAAAAAAACyQ/8D4IvZHLIjMvU-4WF8MVX7d7RjJhRaZtwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160826_152021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAsSwtWsugM/WLGXu5VnWEI/AAAAAAAACyQ/8D4IvZHLIjMvU-4WF8MVX7d7RjJhRaZtwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160826_152021.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is kind of painful</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When we got there- and the car ride down was possibly one of the most painful parts of the thing as I couldn't get comfortable in the front seat- I got fresh X-rays which revealed that the loose bone fragment had shifted around. &nbsp;I was in a lot of pain, but knowing that surgery was going to happen the next day helped me tough it out. &nbsp;The surgeon said "Okay, surgery on Thurs!" and left. &nbsp;I breathed a big sigh of relief. &nbsp;Then he popped back in and said "That's NEXT Thurs... we have an emergency to do tomorrow." &nbsp;Oh, man!!! &nbsp;A WEEK more of this?! &nbsp;Note that I was not on any painkillers at this time as I didn't want to deal with constipation, upset stomach, and possible addiction. The Dr's prescribed Percocet and, back home, I took one to help me sleep. &nbsp;I then had a nightmare in which the collarbone broke through the skin and I was bleeding to death but couldn't get out of the couch because the blood made it too slippery. &nbsp;So... no more of that! &nbsp;In the interim week, I managed the pain fairly well with alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Once I got past the hump and the time was getting closer to surgery, I started actually getting used to it. Every time I started to feel like the pain was too much, &nbsp;I asked myself the question "What Would Hugh Glass Do?" and then I didn't feel very bad at all. At least I didn't have to worry about infection from grizzly bite, you know?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0OHnyz-dQI/WLGbaRRD4jI/AAAAAAAACy0/PMS7PXnKyjkQq9Px321pzZ5j_gySzQ-0wCLcB/s1600/EXP0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0OHnyz-dQI/WLGbaRRD4jI/AAAAAAAACy0/PMS7PXnKyjkQq9Px321pzZ5j_gySzQ-0wCLcB/s320/EXP0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Santa Fe- where's the bone piece?</td></tr></tbody></table><br />FINALLY, the day of surgery came and I've never been happier to get knocked out. &nbsp;Anesthesia is a funny thing. &nbsp;I was supposed to help them move myself from my gurney to the operating table, but I don't remember any of that. &nbsp;The last thing I remember is leaving the staging area and then waking up. &nbsp;Back home, here's what it looked like:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9E_38CrO9L0/WLGXwtLGUDI/AAAAAAAACyc/fg4OXrQOnwYJocx3u8DWSNzwQBiimPCpACLcB/s1600/scar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9E_38CrO9L0/WLGXwtLGUDI/AAAAAAAACyc/fg4OXrQOnwYJocx3u8DWSNzwQBiimPCpACLcB/s320/scar.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After surgery</td></tr></tbody></table>A week later, we were back and here's what I look like now. &nbsp;The two "loose" screws are holding the floating chip back in place. &nbsp;If you look at the X-ray, you can now see that the loose piece broke off the bottom of both sides of the main bone. &nbsp;So, the main bone broke in half and an "inferior" piece then broke off the bottom of both of those. The 2 screws are holding that piece up the main sections.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G6xCu91QcQQ/WLGXvoDubII/AAAAAAAACyY/2-tQ0I01IJAfuR2adwkbzN6ZAST3oAcVQCLcB/s1600/EXP0001%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G6xCu91QcQQ/WLGXvoDubII/AAAAAAAACyY/2-tQ0I01IJAfuR2adwkbzN6ZAST3oAcVQCLcB/s320/EXP0001%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plate and the screws.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After all this, I did 4 weeks of passive physical therapy where the PT moved my arm for me. &nbsp;I quickly rigged up my Bowflex machine at home as a pulley so I could do this myself. &nbsp;At first, let me tell you, it hurt to move stuff. I had a definite "catch" in my muscles when bringing my arm down. My PT found this muscle and massaged the catch out and I improved a little each week. After 4-5 weeks, I went back to the Dr for more X-rays and check ups and then he approved me to do "light lifting and active physical therapy". &nbsp;Well, that's good because the next day was elk season and Derek had a tag for a bull elk. &nbsp;So, long story, short:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UykJdLHvYmA/WLGeuDN2BmI/AAAAAAAACzE/ARU1MJo14lULgisrw04fPMeHa7PWb0QoACLcB/s1600/IMG_20161008_180325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UykJdLHvYmA/WLGeuDN2BmI/AAAAAAAACzE/ARU1MJo14lULgisrw04fPMeHa7PWb0QoACLcB/s320/IMG_20161008_180325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek's first elk! On our property, too!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X7QDQzsO1aQ/WLGepjomK-I/AAAAAAAACzA/PP-fsYsEKD4UoNdN2Rd7dYoBxz5SGTjFgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20161008_220416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X7QDQzsO1aQ/WLGepjomK-I/AAAAAAAACzA/PP-fsYsEKD4UoNdN2Rd7dYoBxz5SGTjFgCLcB/s320/IMG_20161008_220416.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packing out an elk in the dark. <br />This is "light exercise", right?</td></tr></tbody></table><div>After a great stalk, Derek had a 75 yard shot straight down into this bull's back and dropped him with 1 shot from his 7mm-08. We only had to pack 0.15 mile to reach the Polaris Ranger. &nbsp;Granted, it was uphill, in the dark, over the rocks, but I just kept the pack strap off my bad shoulder and toughed it out. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>After this, I started active physical therapy for another 6 weeks and then, finally, in early December, was cleared for full activity. &nbsp;Of course, I immediately went riding. &nbsp;Okay, well, I'd already ridden a few times prior but we're not going to say anything about that, right? &nbsp;I mean, c'mon, I'd only ridden the KX250F for 1 hour before the crash, I was dying to ride the thing, so I took a few super-easy laps around our front yard track. &nbsp;After being cleared for good, I started working on building muscle again using the Bowflex, a kettlebell, free weights, and stretching.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking back, here's what I learned:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) a collarbone break is painful, but it will pass.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) I watched a lot of TV from the recliner. TV gets old fast- there is so much junk on there. &nbsp;Two programs, though, stand out. Steve Rinella's "Meat Eater" is the best hunting show I've ever seen, hands-down. &nbsp;No guides, DIY, with lots of tips on meat care, cooking, etc. &nbsp;"The American Bible Challenge" was great. &nbsp;I really enjoyed it and Derek and I did our best to answer all the questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Sometimes you crash when going for it.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>4) Do the physical therapy!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>5) I could afford a $6000 motorcycle but I hadn't counted on an additional $6000 in out-of-pocket insurance costs! &nbsp;If you ride, ski, run, walk, or breathe, I suggest keeping your OOPs (&lt; &nbsp;see what I did there?) on hand!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next time, I'll talk about the elk hunt.</div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-22295916047828195892016-06-24T21:08:00.003-06:002016-06-27T07:25:18.224-06:00Altitude is good for the attitudeGoose Lake is a high lake near Red River, NM. The rocky, steep, Jeep trail starts at 8500' and runs to 11,500'. I've never been up and Derek's never ridden real off-road trails on his dirt bike, so we planned a trip. Leaving home at around 8 am, we stopped in Cimarron NM at the Cree-Me Drive Inn, which has the best soft-serve ice cream in the world. It was too early for ice cream and burger, so we "settled" for breakfast instead. Well... my breakfast burrito turned out to be one of the best I've ever had and Derek took 3 bites of his pancakes and said "These are really good!" He rarely says things like that. After stuffing ourselves, we continued on to Red River.<br /><br />Our RV park (Roadrunner RV) ended up being right next to the Goose Lake trailhead which made things easy. We pulled in at 11 am and got camp set up. After some thinking, we decided to ride the Goose Lake Trail first, then go fishing a bit, and then ride the Greenie Peak (11,400', too) and Moonlight Meadow trails the next day.<br /><br />Off we went! Now, remember, Derek just started riding a dirt bike in February. Goose Lake Trail started with a steep and loose shale ascent. I was about 100 yards up when I spotted a Polaris Razr coming down the trail. Turning quickly to find Derek, I promptly crashed, landing hard on my butt. Derek also crashed and couldn't pick his bike up on the slick surface. So, I parked mine, walked down, got him started, pointed out the line, and off he went. I took off, waved at the Polaris, and up we went. After that rocky start, things went well, although it seemed like we climbed forever. Finally, up near the lake we got some downhill time and in a fairly short time- it's only a 7 mile ride- we arrived at the lake. I, unfortunately, left the mount for my helmet cam at home, so I just have stills to show you.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERyV2rgwp2s/V23v-oDM10I/AAAAAAAACKk/ElQpySwYlggiy9CFemu66nJnUg8rB_SCwCKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h59m37s94.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERyV2rgwp2s/V23v-oDM10I/AAAAAAAACKk/ElQpySwYlggiy9CFemu66nJnUg8rB_SCwCKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h59m37s94.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the parking lot at 11,500'. <br />Derek is glad to not be battling rocks.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQrAW0Hwdiw/V23wP58hi5I/AAAAAAAACKY/kFWndjEEBPY07oLQM9i-i-c9oxCbKM-1QCKgB/s1600/Goose%2BLake%2BB1%2Band%2BD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQrAW0Hwdiw/V23wP58hi5I/AAAAAAAACKY/kFWndjEEBPY07oLQM9i-i-c9oxCbKM-1QCKgB/s320/Goose%2BLake%2BB1%2Band%2BD2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek is growing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCL4q6Vw_ew/V23v91DWaDI/AAAAAAAACKE/CkXfxKUxoRMjyiw92yp6UTBSY7C2ld1AwCKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h58m20s90.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCL4q6Vw_ew/V23v91DWaDI/AAAAAAAACKE/CkXfxKUxoRMjyiw92yp6UTBSY7C2ld1AwCKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h58m20s90.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goose Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3OqH7P4ZxA/V23v6igvbbI/AAAAAAAACJ8/F0t9z8bAJqQcJtEKxPI9dMEzWBXlBr-zACKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h58m54s174.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3OqH7P4ZxA/V23v6igvbbI/AAAAAAAACJ8/F0t9z8bAJqQcJtEKxPI9dMEzWBXlBr-zACKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h58m54s174.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ring of rocks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The lake was surprisingly pretty- a crystal clear little thing surrounded by a ring of rock, snow still in place. It's a popular place and there were numerous ATV's, Polaris Rangers, and such in the parking lot. We were the only bikes, though. After some photos and observation, we headed back down, during which both Derek and I observed that we needed to adjust our rear brakes! On the ride down, my butt started hurting from the fall and it being only 1 pm, I thought maybe we should go ahead and tackle the other ride and save fishing for the 'morrow. So, we loaded up and off we went! Again!The other ride starts on the opposite end of town and winds thru some pretty fun trails. Uphill, downhill, level but with water washouts... it's a great ride up to Greenie Peak. From there, you can go back down and branch off one of two different ways to make a big loop. We rode that one and Derek proclaimed it as "much better" than the other ride. By this time, we were tired and hungry and stopped at "Anchovies Pizza" in town where we had a pepperoni- artichoke heart/olive/tomato mix. It was pretty good- not quite as good as Bruno's in Raton, but still pretty good. We'd definitely eat there again. <br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h8nOIOms304/V23vxZCK4HI/AAAAAAAACKg/eRPEjqSbEDAsYH3BQEkrPPXqlk6cEdBUgCKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h54m02s41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h8nOIOms304/V23vxZCK4HI/AAAAAAAACKg/eRPEjqSbEDAsYH3BQEkrPPXqlk6cEdBUgCKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h54m02s41.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sittin' on top of the world.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_hJEjaqDlNA/V23vxFkgToI/AAAAAAAACKg/yqogYriTjKQdwJtoleJD-SxhRTZtJAUiACKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h55m20s223.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_hJEjaqDlNA/V23vxFkgToI/AAAAAAAACKg/yqogYriTjKQdwJtoleJD-SxhRTZtJAUiACKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h55m20s223.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek with clouds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsC1phjcY9I/V23vxHVqPUI/AAAAAAAACKg/-ZF9mDWkGRk4pP61A-JYKuLktAzT0uBggCKgB/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h56m26s224.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsC1phjcY9I/V23vxHVqPUI/AAAAAAAACKg/-ZF9mDWkGRk4pP61A-JYKuLktAzT0uBggCKgB/s320/vlcsnap-2016-06-24-19h56m26s224.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wondering if we're gonna get wet (we didn't)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>&nbsp;After a nice night's sleep in our new Casita (3 Ibuprofen later, my butt quit hurting), we went fishing. I don't have much to report there except that there is a steep curve where fly fishing along brush choked little streams are concerned. After a rough start (I already used "rocky start"....) during which my BOA laced wading boots lace broke and I had to use a leader to shut, which necessitated rebuilding my leader/tippet, we caught nothing. The Red River was whipping and places where there's normally pools were raging rapids. We packed up and headed over to Eagle Nest to visit<a href="http://www.eaglenestflyshack.com/" target="_blank"> Eagle Nest Fly Shack</a> and get my boots re-wired, and then grab some food. Got all that done, eating at Kaw-Lija's where we had a breakfast burrito and pancakes again. We agreed that the food was good, but not quite as good at the Cree-Me Drive Inn. Nevertheless, we'd eat there again, you betchya.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qYBZtmzywnM/V23wP3yi6mI/AAAAAAAACKk/jT-WplTcI4AKFFIIidOPtTal0EhXqO2_QCKgB/s1600/Casita%2Bsleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qYBZtmzywnM/V23wP3yi6mI/AAAAAAAACKk/jT-WplTcI4AKFFIIidOPtTal0EhXqO2_QCKgB/s320/Casita%2Bsleeping.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bed-time in the Casita</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Fueled with food and information, we headed for Cimarron Canyon to fish more. Amidst much line tangling and fly losing, Derek snagged 2 small brown while I had several strikes but nothing solid. Tired and grumpy, we headed home but not before stopping in Ute Park for real, 100% gasoline, no ethanol added and in Cimarron at....you guessed it!... the Cree-Me Drive Inn for soft-serve ice cream. &nbsp;And a few hours later, tired, we arrived home just in time for it to start pouring rain. As I write this, just over a 1" of badly needed moisture has fallen. &nbsp;This is, literally, awesome.<br /><br />All in all, an excellent adventure. Derek got to ride his dirt bike off-road for the first time, we both went to Goose Lake, we ate at 3 new places, we camped in the Casita... good stuff!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-43915888209411042162016-06-07T21:23:00.003-06:002016-06-27T07:27:13.061-06:00Fishers of....fish<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">(Mat 4:18-19 NKJV) &nbsp;And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."</blockquote><div><br /></div><div>I figure that since more than one of Jesus' disciples were fishermen, it might behoove one to become a fisher of fish before becoming a fisher of men. &nbsp;Because, like, if you can't fish for fish, then how are you going to fish for men's souls? &nbsp;If you can't fish? &nbsp;You know? &nbsp;I mean, is this logic or what?! &nbsp;So, to this end, a few years ago we set out to become fishermen.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I fished in my youth, but it was bass fishing on small prairie potholes. You cast a lure in the water and like as not a hungry largemouth bass smacked it right away. &nbsp;If one didn't, then you moved to the next pond. &nbsp;This is radically different from lake fishing. Small pond fishing is more like fishing for men at a "We Want To Know Jesus!" conference. There are limited choices and the fish there are hungry. It's easy. Lake fishing- where there is a lot of water and many more choices in food, shelter, and depth for our sought-after fish- is more like fishing for souls at a Rolling Stones concert. It's gonna be a tough one and um...Keef!!!! &nbsp;Start me up, man!!! &nbsp;Sorry... where was I? &nbsp;Anyway, having found justification for my fishing ("seek, and you shall find...", right?), and, um... let's ignore the fact that I only found justification after I was well into fishing again, shall we?... here's where we're at, fishing-for-fish-wise.</div><div><br /></div><div>We started fishing after <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2012/05/david-allen-kimsey-2001-2012.html" target="_blank">David's death</a>. Couple of reasons for that. First, none of the 3 kids could swim and I didn't want to worry about them falling in and drowning, esp David who was physically weak. I also didn't want to spend all my time untangling rods and such. There were other things we did- archery, traveling, museums- so&nbsp;we did those things. Afterward, Brianna was old enough to handle herself and I got Derek swimming a bit. They both wanted to fish, so off we went. &nbsp;We hit nearby Clayton Lake once or twice and got skunked. Then we discovered Gravel Pits Lake in Cimarron Canyon, a kid-friendly little pond stocked with rainbows. That's where we started learning about treble hooks, weights, and Powerbait. &nbsp;Prior to this, I was using a medium stiffness spinning reel loaded with 10-12 lb test line and big spinners and spoons- bass tackle, in other words. Trout are much more delicate and it wasn't long before I had an array of Light and Ultra-Light rods and small reels loaded with 4 lb test line.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRf0PXturJQ/V1eHXKmodeI/AAAAAAAACBo/pqDe8wfHdT4aUhLqSyyDWSqbXLxYZv2vACLcB/s1600/2012-09-28%2B18.43.24%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRf0PXturJQ/V1eHXKmodeI/AAAAAAAACBo/pqDe8wfHdT4aUhLqSyyDWSqbXLxYZv2vACLcB/s320/2012-09-28%2B18.43.24%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek's first fish, ever, at Gravel Pits- Sept 28, 2012<br />Still using heavy tackle here.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Our first real success came at Lake Maloya near Raton where we all caught a limit or close to it of trout.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NYSH4XpAIcc/V1eHaFKzjkI/AAAAAAAACBw/13MrCLscIIQ4WBSD1oIpkFlytMDzSd4WgCLcB/s1600/2013-04-25%2B12.13.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NYSH4XpAIcc/V1eHaFKzjkI/AAAAAAAACBw/13MrCLscIIQ4WBSD1oIpkFlytMDzSd4WgCLcB/s320/2013-04-25%2B12.13.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek and Brianna on our first Maloya trip- April 25, 2013</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After that, I started going to different lakes around northern New Mexico, exploring and trying them out. &nbsp;We've hit Morphy Lake twice. &nbsp;First time was slow- D2 and I caught 4 fish between us. It's hard to get to and I don't think it'll be our favorite lake, although Teresa's Tamales is just down the hill and a worthy stop all by itself.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0wPW2P5Hgo/V1c0erapkgI/AAAAAAAACAc/A-EoIozN48YqOXQigLFT2A0SAuPJoS3SACLcB/s1600/IMG120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0wPW2P5Hgo/V1c0erapkgI/AAAAAAAACAc/A-EoIozN48YqOXQigLFT2A0SAuPJoS3SACLcB/s320/IMG120.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morphy Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After Morphy, we went back to Lake Maloya and again caught some fish. We've been back to Maloya 6-8 times and have had good fishing every time. I think it might be our favorite lake on the whole.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W63l3jSp85E/V1c0eo9CjZI/AAAAAAAACAg/-GQGryXwxy8yNpusj2YAKKqAm5f3G-lRQCLcB/s1600/IMG136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W63l3jSp85E/V1c0eo9CjZI/AAAAAAAACAg/-GQGryXwxy8yNpusj2YAKKqAm5f3G-lRQCLcB/s320/IMG136.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Maloya</td></tr></tbody></table>Derek and I went to a <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2014/07/derek-and-i-are-back-from-another.html" target="_blank">3D archery shoot </a>back in July 2014 and just weren't having much fun so we bailed early to take in some fishing on the way home. &nbsp;This was our first visit to Coyote Creek and we had a great time there. We didn't catch a lot of fish, but the scenery more than made up for it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giAr_OP1aKU/V1eI5B8c0cI/AAAAAAAACB8/0owj-ADdn8INwku6DjFH2Jg4mp-9TvotgCLcB/s1600/SAM_2339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giAr_OP1aKU/V1eI5B8c0cI/AAAAAAAACB8/0owj-ADdn8INwku6DjFH2Jg4mp-9TvotgCLcB/s320/SAM_2339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaver dam at Coyote Creek&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Clayton Lake is our "local" lake but it took us awhile to figure it out. Eventually, we started catching fish fairly regularly, but it's never a given. &nbsp;In 2015, I got something new- an inflatable Intex Mariner 3 boat. I've never been a boat person, but it's fun and it's really opened a new door as far as fishing goes. Shortly after this, I bought an Intex Challenger K2 kayak. I like the kayak for its lightweight and maneuverability but it's not as comfortable with 2 people and is obviously much less stable than the boat, I really enjoy using both boats to explore the waters.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MpkbLOEZz9M/V1c0eK_wgfI/AAAAAAAACAY/vEP_swbnLo0-xnELtRYYA7IvPpjC5hcrACLcB/s1600/SAM_2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MpkbLOEZz9M/V1c0eK_wgfI/AAAAAAAACAY/vEP_swbnLo0-xnELtRYYA7IvPpjC5hcrACLcB/s320/SAM_2150.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying the Intex for the first time</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Before long, we had to try fly fishing, especially after visiting smaller waters like Coyote Creek and Gravel Pits (and the surrounding Cimarron). &nbsp;Using points from my Cabela's card, I got us set up with rods and reels and we were off. &nbsp;There is a steep learning curve with fly fishing and at first, we were not very successful. One thing I learned about fly-fishing is that, unlike normal fishing where bodies of water are referred to as "Lake _____" or "_______ River", you call the place only by its first name. &nbsp;Thus, the Cimarron River is simply "the Cimarron" and the San Juan River is "the San Juan". &nbsp;Doing it this way lets people know that you "know". So if you want to sound like you, too, "know", I suggest you start referring to bodies of water by their Christian name.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LaMv-C0a1dI/VaUIR8J4uRI/AAAAAAAABg4/NIi8eepHSd84rVa6AVfDiY2tRoYdaYohQCKgB/s1600/IMG_20150712_193503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LaMv-C0a1dI/VaUIR8J4uRI/AAAAAAAABg4/NIi8eepHSd84rVa6AVfDiY2tRoYdaYohQCKgB/s320/IMG_20150712_193503.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fly fishing the Cimarron</td></tr></tbody></table><br />To help get over the Fly-Fishing Learning Mountain, we hired a guide from <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiFu_647JbNAhWCMGMKHZ9yCLMQFggdMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eaglenestflyshack.com%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNEuddx1X9-aIFJ0SUT68oyr-FEPhA&amp;sig2=Px6c0h7NFKtp8RklJFuv4w&amp;bvm=bv.124088155,d.cGc" target="_blank">Eagle Nest Fly Shack</a>. &nbsp;Tim, the owner, was our guide and both D2 and I learned a lot. That fall, we picked up used waders and boots from them, and applied our lessons on our own.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dm048y6px4g/VfS0ZEYQLFI/AAAAAAAABio/kTOUg2ZjPZQdDruBLsE-Ol5o4DrDS7bQACKgB/s1600/IMG_20150818_083422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dm048y6px4g/VfS0ZEYQLFI/AAAAAAAABio/kTOUg2ZjPZQdDruBLsE-Ol5o4DrDS7bQACKgB/s320/IMG_20150818_083422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning from our guide</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As of this writing, I have yet to catch a brown trout and D2 has yet to catch a rainbow on a fly rod. &nbsp;We're in competition to see who can be the first to get the other's fish.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygVkSAlKlyg/VfS0RORdHAI/AAAAAAAABiY/KZM0it3z0vQ8DDTvHwgpHyhbhtN-J4piwCKgB/s1600/20150818_104533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygVkSAlKlyg/VfS0RORdHAI/AAAAAAAABiY/KZM0it3z0vQ8DDTvHwgpHyhbhtN-J4piwCKgB/s320/20150818_104533.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A non-guided trout</td></tr></tbody></table>At Winfield 2015, D2 learned to tie flies. &nbsp;Several of the Winfield guys are fly-fishermen and D2 and no shortage of help. He's caught trout- brown trout, no rainbows, please note!- on his own hand-tied flies.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a0-YXPftOKU/VgXBruDOrJI/AAAAAAAABmY/prf9-0Agk-816DYMH3mu3NVeeBC5d-iyACKgB/s1600/IMG_20150916_094052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a0-YXPftOKU/VgXBruDOrJI/AAAAAAAABmY/prf9-0Agk-816DYMH3mu3NVeeBC5d-iyACKgB/s320/IMG_20150916_094052.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to tie flies at Winfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Next on our list of fish to catch were walleye and bass. &nbsp;Clayton Lake has them, but Ute Lake has more, so when <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2016/04/hanging-with-heather.html" target="_blank">Heather </a>needed to zip down to Ute Lake to do a falcon exchange, D2 and I were all on board. &nbsp;There, we met my ex-apprentice, Calvin, and another falconer, Mike, (that's four falconers fishing for fish, in case you lost track) and fished away. &nbsp;D2 caught two keeper walleye and a couple of bass, plus Mike gave us his bass and we had a meal! &nbsp;After trout, the walleye and bass were big fish.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWQ_pVdCJo/VyAXojAW9XI/AAAAAAAAB9U/yS8Cm40E0NUcTON54MQOFVhnFbvEh9c1wCKgB/s1600/Ute%2BLake%2Bfishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWQ_pVdCJo/VyAXojAW9XI/AAAAAAAAB9U/yS8Cm40E0NUcTON54MQOFVhnFbvEh9c1wCKgB/s320/Ute%2BLake%2Bfishing.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First walleye and bass at Ute Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><div>A few weeks later, we put our new Casita to use in an overnight stay at Clayton Lake where we caught several nice fish.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RR8IEnzHwqo/V1dR83gp_aI/AAAAAAAACBA/A0BefsIioHUTriYF6WtoEie7zjd14uR9QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160502_133211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RR8IEnzHwqo/V1dR83gp_aI/AAAAAAAACBA/A0BefsIioHUTriYF6WtoEie7zjd14uR9QCLcB/s320/IMG_20160502_133211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casita Camping at Clayton Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVooLWuFNRY/V1dR33INmuI/AAAAAAAACA4/y6LQSJF0BF0_bxkXMj4T-0OFXmAvYiLEQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160502_155654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVooLWuFNRY/V1dR33INmuI/AAAAAAAACA4/y6LQSJF0BF0_bxkXMj4T-0OFXmAvYiLEQCLcB/s320/IMG_20160502_155654.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my kayak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tP9-CBFnHa4/V1dR974MUNI/AAAAAAAACBI/wF5bkOdPlJc1coPNb1rZd7YgcxBsSyKfACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160503_114506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tP9-CBFnHa4/V1dR974MUNI/AAAAAAAACBI/wF5bkOdPlJc1coPNb1rZd7YgcxBsSyKfACLcB/s320/IMG_20160503_114506.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D2 caught the big one</td></tr></tbody></table><div>And then just a few weeks ago, we took the Casita back to Ute Lake where I caught several smallmouth bass, including a few keepers. &nbsp;Derek didn't catch one until just before we were ready and then hooked one bigger than either of mine.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7CZi1E_mFg/V1ePjB7LokI/AAAAAAAACCM/BX90wtJqHjk0lHR9yOK0DatysuMfYvTTACLcB/s1600/Ute%2BLake%2Bbass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7CZi1E_mFg/V1ePjB7LokI/AAAAAAAACCM/BX90wtJqHjk0lHR9yOK0DatysuMfYvTTACLcB/s320/Ute%2BLake%2Bbass.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ute Lake smallmouth</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, that's fishing so far. Now that the weather's getting warmer, we're &nbsp;moving back to the fly streams where I will catch a brown trout. We're both going to catch cuthroat, probably in the Valle Vidal, which is a place I've never been. Or maybe up in Santa Barbara creek, another place I've never been. &nbsp;Later this year we have plans to head down south to combine fishing with hawking and javelina hunting. We've discussed moving to Logan (home of Ute Lake) in the winter. We can speak bilingually now, switching effortlessly from Spin-Cast to several dialects of Fly-Fishing. We have "A River Runs Through It" memorized- in my case, both the movie and the book. However, don't think that we are good fishermen, I think we still need a lot of practice. And we intended to practice. A lot.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="padding: 0px 5px 10px 0px;">“My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him all good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy.”&nbsp;</blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="padding: 0px 5px 10px 0px;">“Well, until man is redeemed he will always take a fly rod too far back, just as natural man always overswings with an ax or golf club and loses all his power somewhere in the air; only with a rod it's worse, because the fly often comes so far back it gets caught behind in a bush or rock.”&nbsp;</blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="padding: 0px 5px 10px 0px;">“As a Scot and a Presbyterian, my father believed that man by nature was a mess and had fallen from an original state of grace. Somehow, I early developed the notion that he had done this by falling from a tree. As for my father, I never knew whether he believed God was a mathematician but he certainly believed God could count and that only by picking up God's rhythms were we able to regain power and beauty. Unlike many Presbyterians, he often used the word "beautiful.”<br />―&nbsp;<a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16943.Norman_Maclean" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Norman Maclean</a>,&nbsp;<span id="quote_book_link_30043"><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2455271" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">A River Runs Through It and Other Stories</a></span></blockquote><div><br /></div><div class="quoteFooter" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></div></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-50900096955636846222016-04-27T21:43:00.002-06:002016-04-29T08:22:32.181-06:00Hanging with Heather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It's been awhile since I updated my poor little blog. &nbsp;And that's 'cause I've been pretty busy. &nbsp;Let's catch up.... In Feb, I mostly worked on guitars and rode dirt bikes a bit. &nbsp;The weather was decent and we got a fair amount of riding done. Then in early March, our friend Heather stopped by for a visit. Being that she has quite a bit of ranch and livestock experience, I put her to work and her visit turned into a 6-week stay.<br /><br />First course of action was building fence. I have 2 miles of fence between two pastures that was in pretty bad shape and has been since I got to the ranch nearly 20 years ago (I need to let that sink in for a minute... nearly TWENTY years ago...). I wanted it fixed up. &nbsp;To that end, I bought a Danuser T3 post driver for my Case skid steer. We worked about 2-3 days/week on the fence and got it all spiffied up with steel posts, re-stretched wire, and some new braces. After some initial hiccups, the Danuser worked beautifully. At one spot, I pounded posts by hand into a dry lake bed. &nbsp;Later, I drove by with the skid steer and decided to see how much further I could get the very tall posts. &nbsp;I drove them an additional 2' without even actuating the "pound" part of the driver! &nbsp;That's when I got impressed.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cu9fLSbkZQA/VyAY6Oz8K1I/AAAAAAAAB94/8GxEXsSmtFAIhtQ5deZ_FjVxRry_EE7qgCKgB/s1600/Fencing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cu9fLSbkZQA/VyAY6Oz8K1I/AAAAAAAAB94/8GxEXsSmtFAIhtQ5deZ_FjVxRry_EE7qgCKgB/s320/Fencing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miles of fence ahead</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-164c7J3ItAA/VyAYaTeyY5I/AAAAAAAAB9w/YsorKJ1I5EYPcvmmzOkZVG6e96GhuXPZgCKgB/s1600/IMG_20160331_122303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-164c7J3ItAA/VyAYaTeyY5I/AAAAAAAAB9w/YsorKJ1I5EYPcvmmzOkZVG6e96GhuXPZgCKgB/s320/IMG_20160331_122303.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stripping wire, pulling posts, driving new ones</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RgO6VSLlng0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RgO6VSLlng0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ke1LTVICO9o/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke1LTVICO9o?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><br />Since Heather has experience with livestock auctions and Derek had some money in the bank to invest, we went to town a couple of times to buy cattle for him. I met with a local rancher the first time and got both his and Heather's opinions on the cattle. &nbsp;When a likely bunch came up, we bid and won and suddenly Derek was a cattleman! &nbsp;Back home, we branded, vaccinated, and sprayed with insecticide, all firsts for us. &nbsp;We ended up buying 6 yearling steers in all. We'll let these gain weight on grass all summer and sell them in the fall, making a (hopeful) profit on the gain. This is a test run to see if we want to buy 20-50-100 yearlings in upcoming years.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iA0dqQeETpI/VyAXrMdcxeI/AAAAAAAAB9M/LlstSSFFanoyeb5e7OPgwBzmP3HYYc9CgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160316_152812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iA0dqQeETpI/VyAXrMdcxeI/AAAAAAAAB9M/LlstSSFFanoyeb5e7OPgwBzmP3HYYc9CgCLcB/s320/IMG_20160316_152812.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm holding the gate shut...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xfbzZ7ced8s/VyAZYRgT59I/AAAAAAAAB90/7Snpu8Fa80wOpGJu93IP3RrBdDL7tfW0ACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160316_152820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xfbzZ7ced8s/VyAZYRgT59I/AAAAAAAAB90/7Snpu8Fa80wOpGJu93IP3RrBdDL7tfW0ACLcB/s320/IMG_20160316_152820.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.....Heather applies the iron. &nbsp;Derek and Georgia are go-fers.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In addition to the yearlings, Derek has a herd of 8 momma cows and they started calving this past month. With these, we'll likely keep the heifer calves to build the herd and sell the steers this fall to generate money with which we'll buy more cattle next spring. If all goes well, by the time Derek's ready for college, he'll have a good fund built up.<div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fwBnIuvXYc/VyIa2MYIlgI/AAAAAAAAB-0/Lz6JxWBUBEUFGgCYMkgyBEg3pXTw3JDZACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160312_154239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fwBnIuvXYc/VyIa2MYIlgI/AAAAAAAAB-0/Lz6JxWBUBEUFGgCYMkgyBEg3pXTw3JDZACLcB/s320/IMG_20160312_154239.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first home-grown calf of the year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Another thing we did was go hawking. &nbsp;Since I met Heather thru falconry and since she brought 3 Harris' hawks with her, flying them seemed the logical thing to do. We flew them mostly in my Cedar Creek canyon which is a pinyon/juniper lined canyon. Bunnies aren't plentiful, but we got 2-4 decent flights every time and caught 1 bunny and a jackrabbit. We also saw a Barbary sheep ewe with a very small lamb in the canyon, a first for everyone. And we got a lot of much needed exercise! I think we fired up to fly Harris's again and I've put an order in for 2 birds for myself for this fall. &nbsp;So, hopefully, we'll have some news on that later this summer.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SsOsZk8lIz0/VyAYYTQUiUI/AAAAAAAAB9w/bgko-6TeaYUgS6ROqx2z63H6yErVqM5FgCKgB/s1600/IMG_20160327_154934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SsOsZk8lIz0/VyAYYTQUiUI/AAAAAAAAB9w/bgko-6TeaYUgS6ROqx2z63H6yErVqM5FgCKgB/s320/IMG_20160327_154934.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackrabbit down!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />And then we went fishing. &nbsp;Being originally from Minnesota, H has some fishing tricks up her sleeve including The Art of Filleting, something which we'd never done. We fished pretty much once a week and caught lots of trout. &nbsp;Derek caught his first walleye, smallmouth, and largemouth bass all in one day at Ute Lake.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWQ_pVdCJo/VyAXojAW9XI/AAAAAAAAB9U/yS8Cm40E0NUcTON54MQOFVhnFbvEh9c1wCKgB/s1600/Ute%2BLake%2Bfishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFWQ_pVdCJo/VyAXojAW9XI/AAAAAAAAB9U/yS8Cm40E0NUcTON54MQOFVhnFbvEh9c1wCKgB/s320/Ute%2BLake%2Bfishing.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek with walleye and bass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKr0c3WEtHc/VyAc24B7RXI/AAAAAAAAB-U/hT3YHcUot3Aw_CCtP6L6jhL27ZurcDqzACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160415_174412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKr0c3WEtHc/VyAc24B7RXI/AAAAAAAAB-U/hT3YHcUot3Aw_CCtP6L6jhL27ZurcDqzACLcB/s320/IMG_20160415_174412.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The above fish, about to be 'et.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I left out a bunch of other fun things- "walking" up to the top of the local mountain (pretty sure I said "climb" but everyone thought they heard "walk"...), looking for prairie falcons, playing Scrabble, visiting Las Vegas NM, feeding cattle, sitting in front of the fire talking, listening to music, and more, but I think you get the idea. We all learned a lot of things from each other, had fun, and it was, in short, A Most Excellent Visit.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LHJXpSdzXPU/VyAYdyFuVTI/AAAAAAAAB9w/oqxzc8I8JMwWvXXd4kiljMg6XJNp6pj4QCKgB/s1600/IMG_20160410_165512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LHJXpSdzXPU/VyAYdyFuVTI/AAAAAAAAB9w/oqxzc8I8JMwWvXXd4kiljMg6XJNp6pj4QCKgB/s320/IMG_20160410_165512.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting on top of the world....</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Alas, all good things must come to end and, in no time at all, it was time for Heather to head home to Montana. After lunch one day we said our "see you in awhile"'s (no "goodbyes", nope!), sent her down the road, and started getting back into our normal routine. That, of course, was quickly punctuated by incoming cattle (going into the pasture which fence we'd just fixed) and just like that, another ranching season begins.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_E2cYQV9HM/VyAYZRKcqyI/AAAAAAAAB9w/Dd9TOjZVGzwDCJqN1EYb9WtHeUB5lkfvACKgB/s1600/DSC00060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_E2cYQV9HM/VyAYZRKcqyI/AAAAAAAAB9w/Dd9TOjZVGzwDCJqN1EYb9WtHeUB5lkfvACKgB/s320/DSC00060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Until next time</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PmaTDkxsmrw/VyAboYs7w9I/AAAAAAAAB-E/UiPQTBr3nescH46J10k_kp6Koad52mUkwCLcB/s1600/Incoming%2Bcattle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PmaTDkxsmrw/VyAboYs7w9I/AAAAAAAAB-E/UiPQTBr3nescH46J10k_kp6Koad52mUkwCLcB/s320/Incoming%2Bcattle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First one off the truck</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AEl9Om_N1jw/VyAboWYEjEI/AAAAAAAAB-I/Gd5LzNYTTcw2JBHx1FFAvaEI4BWsuy82QCLcB/s1600/Cattle%2Bin%2Bpens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AEl9Om_N1jw/VyAboWYEjEI/AAAAAAAAB-I/Gd5LzNYTTcw2JBHx1FFAvaEI4BWsuy82QCLcB/s320/Cattle%2Bin%2Bpens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feed us!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And that brings us up to speed. Every year is an adventure. &nbsp;What will this one bring?</div><div><br /></div><div>There is one more thing. We observed what would have been <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2012/05/david-allen-kimsey-2001-2012.html" target="_blank">David's </a>15th birthday with a visit to his grave. Tears were shed, funny stories were told, and- as always- we try to look forward in hope.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FXdAGsFi2Y0/VyAds38s13I/AAAAAAAAB-c/IIUQsjLWOYMVGbvyCyp1xoHImWhv-tMDACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160410_123406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FXdAGsFi2Y0/VyAds38s13I/AAAAAAAAB-c/IIUQsjLWOYMVGbvyCyp1xoHImWhv-tMDACLcB/s320/IMG_20160410_123406.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-3336312754136848852016-01-18T20:07:00.000-07:002016-01-18T20:07:32.244-07:00Back in the saddle again!<div class="tr_bq">Awhile back, I wrote this on my web site:</div><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I started riding dirt bikes in Jr. High in 1973 with a Honda XR75 and continued to ride through High School (upgrading to a Honda XL125 which I immediately tricked out for dirt riding). I raced a Suzuki RM125 during my last two years of High School (79-80), but sold it to buy my&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bryankimsey.com/instruments/modzilla/">1st Martin guitar</a>. I bought a very used Honda SL175 (for $175!) while in college and rode it for awhile, but then was bikeless (a sad state of affairs) until about 1987 when I got a 1984 Honda XR200R. Not long afterwards, I bought a 1984 Honda XL200R as a second bike for commuting and for my wife to ride. I sold both bikes about 2 years later, to buy falconry telemetry (these hobbies are all inter-twined!). A long, dry period lasted until March 21, 1998 when I bought a brand-new 1996 Honda XR250 with proceeds from various writing projects, including the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bryankimsey.com/falconry/">Falconry Equipment</a>&nbsp;book (see what I mean about being intertwined?? &lt;g&gt;). The first thing I did upon getting it home was go out and catch some air!&nbsp; That got me going again and since then I have been bike-less for just a short period.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Fall 2010 at age 48, I decided it was time to hang up the dirt bike boots while all my joints and bones are still intact.&nbsp; It was a great ride!</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, never say "never", I guess. &nbsp;After a 5 year</span>&nbsp;break, we're back in the game. &nbsp;Derek, you see, had been making noise about wanting to ride dirt bikes. I think there's a lot to be learned from them besides the actual riding skills (which are useful in themselves). There's mechanic work, trouble-shooting, economics, time-management, and more. I freely credit my dirt biking with many of the skills I have today, a large chunk of which have enabled me to do guitar repair.<br /><br />Talking about dirt bikes during Christmas, we did a little quick research and settled on a few candidates- the Honda CRF150F or Kawasaki KLX140 for him and a Yamaha TT-R 230 or Honda CRF230F for me. A quick look at Craigslist later and I found a single buyer selling both an '08 Honda CRF150F and a Yamaha TT-R 230, for an excellent combined price. The Santa Fe Yamaha dealer was open and we took a look at a new TT-R 230 and they even had a used CRF150F.(for too much money). That visit put the TT-R 125 LE on my radar, too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>&nbsp;But I wanted to shop and think. The biggest issue in buying a used dirt bike is the title. Here in NM, you have to have a registration sticker to ride on public lands (.e.g. US Forest Service) and since nearby Red River, NM is a fun and popular are to ride, I sure don't want to exclude it. However, bikes in Colorado and TX don't have titles. Problem. But,the original pair that I saw on CL's did have titles and long story short, we drove down there one Thursday and bought them. Even better, the following Monday, we got them titled! &nbsp;Some gear and jetting later, we're riding.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ThHtj2I03g/Vp2It_QgedI/AAAAAAAABzs/6i--nN3WW-0/s1600/IMG_20160108_101726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ThHtj2I03g/Vp2It_QgedI/AAAAAAAABzs/6i--nN3WW-0/s320/IMG_20160108_101726.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh off the truck</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Derek's never ridden a dirt bike but he does have bicycle and ATV experience. He's picked it up pretty quickly, learning to use a manual clutch and shift gears. His Honda is a great bike- I wish I'd had one of these to start on! &nbsp;Likewise, I'm really happy with my Yamaha. &nbsp;I'm not going to do much jumping or racing anymore- we just want to putt around and have fun.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE7rOee4Kjg/Vp2Is3W_nhI/AAAAAAAABzk/ChdcnB_rX-c/s1600/SAM_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE7rOee4Kjg/Vp2Is3W_nhI/AAAAAAAABzk/ChdcnB_rX-c/s320/SAM_3183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got gear? &nbsp;Got dirt!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It's good to be back on the bike.</div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-71156488563323159682015-12-01T08:00:00.001-07:002015-12-01T21:09:40.562-07:00The Life of a Guitar Repair Wizard<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know some people think I'm like this Guitar Repairman Wizard or something, but this week, I had a bad day in the shop and, my blog needing an update, I’m going to tell you all about it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A while ago, I got in a '67 Martin D-28 that just needed a neck reset and some frets. Easy job. &nbsp;I did the frets and did the reset.&nbsp; When I strung it up to check the action to set the saddle height, the front of the stock bridge snapped clean off. In 15 years, 150 guitars/year, I've NEVER had that happen. So I informed the owner and offered to make him a new bridge for free. I don't like making bridges- it's one of my least favorite things, especially when I have to make an _exact_ replica of something in order for it to work. I just hate blowing it and wasting a bridge blank. Irks me to death. Anyway....<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After spending most of the previous day meticulously measuring and fitting the new bridge(*) to fit precisely in the stock footprint, and drilling the pin holes in a nice precise clean line so that they’d line exactly with the stock pin holes, today I was routing the saddle slot, which I always do last so that I put it exactly where I want it for good intonation. &nbsp;Something felt funny. The router was making strange noises and I could feel it struggling. “Well, it’s a hard piece of ebony”, I thought. Then I took another look and noticed the router bit wobbling, so I quickly stopped the router and got it out of the way. Turns out the bit had worked its way loose from the router collet and dug deeply, widely, and sloppily into the bridge, ruining it. I've NEVER had that happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided to try to fill and re-cut the slot just to see how good I could make it look. Hours later, it looked great, so I strung the guitar up, but guess what? The bridge was .020" too low. The &nbsp;stock bridge was really tall and I never got to test my reset 'cause the stock bridge broke as I was putting a test saddle in it. For guitars to work correctly, the neck angle has to agree with the combined height of the bridge and saddle. My new, repaired, bridge was too short, making the new saddle too tall and.... it just wasn't gonna work. So, 2 days worth of work went down the drain. &nbsp;If you’re paying attention, you’ll note that, being too short, this bridge was really doomed from the start. The wayward router bit just finished the job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I just hate going to bed with unfinished work, so after throwing tools and crying and tearing my shirt, I pulled the meticulously made repaired bridge and started on another one. &nbsp;After spending all evening on it, I got a new bridge made and fit before quitting for the day so hopefully I've managed to take 1 step forward after 2 steps back. The next day&nbsp;</span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">I successfully cut a nice saddle slot in Bridge #2 and the guitar is currently strung up, awaiting final adjustment. I’m not claiming “success” just yet, though.&nbsp; Not until a week has passed.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></div><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BoNwhqw4rMU/Vl20edI3UsI/AAAAAAAABoM/-5bXV3An7H0/s1600/SAM_3056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BoNwhqw4rMU/Vl20edI3UsI/AAAAAAAABoM/-5bXV3An7H0/s320/SAM_3056.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little mark is all that remains of the jagged slot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fcEAxYk71JY/Vl20eSmn0EI/AAAAAAAABoI/f7gI98BeziI/s1600/SAM_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fcEAxYk71JY/Vl20eSmn0EI/AAAAAAAABoI/f7gI98BeziI/s320/SAM_3057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original bridge, cracked</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-3_atThvPg/Vl20earHmjI/AAAAAAAABoQ/19jx7EKbeWc/s1600/SAM_3055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-3_atThvPg/Vl20earHmjI/AAAAAAAABoQ/19jx7EKbeWc/s320/SAM_3055.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: The new new bridge, the wobbly slot bridge, the original.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXHFIHY2BnQ/Vl20gr3l9nI/AAAAAAAABog/EQIiNN2DMaU/s1600/SAM_3058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXHFIHY2BnQ/Vl20gr3l9nI/AAAAAAAABog/EQIiNN2DMaU/s320/SAM_3058.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge and saddle together determine string height-<br />they have to match the neck angle.</td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I watched a couple of these and felt better about my "bad day".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VveNHLZaECw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VveNHLZaECw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(*)In case you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, this is another&nbsp;bridge (that I made). The wood part is the "bridge", the bone part in the middle is the "saddle", and the black things are "pins".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bryankimsey.com/instruments/74D-18/bridge_profile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 16.8667px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bryankimsey.com/instruments/74D-18/bridge_profile.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A Good Day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bryankimsey.com/bridges/Bridge%20scars/Saddle%20set%20back-side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bryankimsey.com/bridges/Bridge%20scars/Saddle%20set%20back-side.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Another Good Day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To make this right, you gotta get the curves in the wings just right- clean and sharp with a C shape. The overall height of the bridge and saddle have to match the neck angle of the guitar perfectly. The holes for the pins have to be the perfect distance from the saddle and perfectly spaced and in line. In the case of today's guitar, the new bridge needs to fit precisely into the old footprint on the top- that means that all curves and widths have to be exactly right. If they're not, I re-do it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">These bridges look good. I got lucky those days.&nbsp; I’ll take lucky. It's what Wizards are made &nbsp;up of. Luck. Luck and ebony dust.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">Oh yeah.... the book is done! I took a couple of boxes to the North American Falconer's Association meet in Kansas and sold a bunch of 'em.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gtm85Oym5xw/Vl5uIFRx1oI/AAAAAAAABo0/HlLXcRY8yiE/s1600/20151023_104404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gtm85Oym5xw/Vl5uIFRx1oI/AAAAAAAABo0/HlLXcRY8yiE/s320/20151023_104404.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unloading off the truck</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K9Bt6p2Qqhg/Vl5uImWmzLI/AAAAAAAABo4/9EmNcKQ8ZSU/s1600/20151023_104524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K9Bt6p2Qqhg/Vl5uImWmzLI/AAAAAAAABo4/9EmNcKQ8ZSU/s320/20151023_104524.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading into the Ranger</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aekxli-bcpY/Vl5uXi3R8uI/AAAAAAAABpE/VlpTqSJENi0/s1600/Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aekxli-bcpY/Vl5uXi3R8uI/AAAAAAAABpE/VlpTqSJENi0/s320/Books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st box opened!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In case you go looking for it:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615541682" target="_blank">Falconry Equipment book</a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-60386705994035651082015-09-25T16:30:00.000-06:002016-06-27T07:26:08.423-06:00Whipped at WinfieldThe "B<a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-big-fast-train.html" target="_blank">ig Fast Train</a>" has done come and gone. Just as I said in that post, there was a point at Winfield where I had to actually sit down onstage and start playing the tunes I'd been practicing for months. Georgia documented it (below). There was a lot that needed to happen before then, though, and no, I didn't really get "whipped" at Winfield. It's just a fun alliteration. I'd use "Winning at Winfield!" (with more exclamation marks) but I didn't win.<br /><br />The trip to Dallas to pick up our new Casita went well. We stopped in Clarendon and had lunch with Brianna and Quenten which turned out to be a good thing as they ended up moving (to Claremore...what's next? &nbsp;"Clareless"? "Clarefree"? "Clare-by-the-sea"?) the week I was at Winfield. We picked up the camper- another undramatic event, except that I had a blown fuse which was promptly fixed at the factory- and headed north to my half-sister's place near Pilot Point, TX. I'd asked for all kinds of advice for traveling through Dallas and we ended up taking 45 to 75 to 380. That was a good route but I have to say, north Dallas was the worst part of the whole trip! &nbsp;Lots of traffic, lots of construction, fast drivers. However, it still all went without event and we even managed to stop at the Cabela's in Allen, TX.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PdOX1Al9BvU/VgXBB5ulSPI/AAAAAAAABkE/MTMCItaW1PE/s1600/IMG_20150914_072643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PdOX1Al9BvU/VgXBB5ulSPI/AAAAAAAABkE/MTMCItaW1PE/s320/IMG_20150914_072643.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Motherlode of Egg Campers</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-igjUc77I8IA/VgXBG2tVlMI/AAAAAAAABkc/Yhq0q-5YhBA/s1600/IMG_20150914_075450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-igjUc77I8IA/VgXBG2tVlMI/AAAAAAAABkc/Yhq0q-5YhBA/s320/IMG_20150914_075450.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out floor models while waiting</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNoAXbu3mb4/VgXBIyLotpI/AAAAAAAABkk/iyAFVKIRkTk/s1600/IMG_20150914_081658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNoAXbu3mb4/VgXBIyLotpI/AAAAAAAABkk/iyAFVKIRkTk/s320/IMG_20150914_081658.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting together for the first time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh-5dn8m8ko/VgXBKLK6AgI/AAAAAAAABks/69hwarNzWmw/s1600/IMG_20150914_101739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh-5dn8m8ko/VgXBKLK6AgI/AAAAAAAABks/69hwarNzWmw/s320/IMG_20150914_101739.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in the lot, ready to roll!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We'd stopped at Cabela's in Fort Worth on the way in and were disappointed. The place was full of screaming kids, merchandise was on the floor, and we just didn't find anything we wanted. Plus, we only had an hour before they closed and when they close at 7 pm, that means they empty the floor at 6:30 pm. The Cabela's in Allen TX was a lot better to us. The former is 250,000 sq ft and the latter "only" 100,000 sq ft, but the Allen store was cleaner, neater, and.... better. Maybe it helped that it was Monday morning and not Sunday afternoon. We scored all kinds of stuff on our list including a Benjamin Titan NP air rifle with a slightly cracked stock for less than 1/2 price. Derek's been wanting one of these for ages but I didn't want to spend $160 on one. This one was marked to $80 and we put it in the basket along with a pair of camo overalls for $20. We found a lot of things and the stop here was well worth our time. We also managed a stop at In 'n Out Burger but, honestly... it was just okay. I like Five Guys' fries better.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Br9z6ONMyg/VgXBLTYUvAI/AAAAAAAABk0/ywranXR-Hrc/s1600/IMG_20150914_121735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Br9z6ONMyg/VgXBLTYUvAI/AAAAAAAABk0/ywranXR-Hrc/s320/IMG_20150914_121735.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabela's in Allen TX</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After that, it was to my sister's place, whom I haven't seen in 12 years or so, although we talk on Facebook. Her and her husband train, raise, and sell horses and we had a fun, although way too short visit. Derek and I slept in the Casita for the first time and started figuring things out.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOyn2CtTF_4/VgXDWIZhT_I/AAAAAAAABmg/wGvY4c3ykBk/s1600/Ky%2BBryan%2Band%2BDerek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOyn2CtTF_4/VgXDWIZhT_I/AAAAAAAABmg/wGvY4c3ykBk/s320/Ky%2BBryan%2Band%2BDerek.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek, Bryan, and Ky after a successful meal</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We took off at first light for Winfield and stopped at Bass Pro in OKC on the way. Prior to this trip, I'd bought a Garmin GPS and, while I'm good with maps, this proved to be a useful purchase for navigating big cities. The main thing is that it warns you of upcoming exits and you get a little picture of what the exit looks like. Armed and empowered with this technology, we navigated into Bass Pro where we spent more money!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd3b3Z-RPPA/VgXBRzPRDTI/AAAAAAAABlE/_JN6SMxxRnc/s1600/IMG_20150915_104913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd3b3Z-RPPA/VgXBRzPRDTI/AAAAAAAABlE/_JN6SMxxRnc/s320/IMG_20150915_104913.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Bass Pro in OKC</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>And then, on to Winfield! Our GPS was pretty helpful here. I'd never come to Winfield from the south and didn't realize that I-35 turns in a toll road. So, we bailed an exit early and the GPS helpfully suggested a road that ran straight to the road I wanted. Finally, around 2 pm, we parked the Casita and breathed a big sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my antelope hunters had given Derek a really nice fly-tying kit and I knew there plenty of experienced fly-ty'ers in our camp.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a0-YXPftOKU/VgXBruDOrJI/AAAAAAAABmY/-KYtQ-UKutY/s1600/IMG_20150916_094052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a0-YXPftOKU/VgXBruDOrJI/AAAAAAAABmY/-KYtQ-UKutY/s320/IMG_20150916_094052.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coy and Derek tying flies</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rLsdFpr0cZI/VgXBazOjwYI/AAAAAAAABlY/gl2XQgDXdmQ/s1600/IMG_20150915_182610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rLsdFpr0cZI/VgXBazOjwYI/AAAAAAAABlY/gl2XQgDXdmQ/s320/IMG_20150915_182610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proulxs and Donohues</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k5Qqe4Zcljw/VgXBdn-MiAI/AAAAAAAABlk/KTphjTqJUyg/s1600/IMG_20150915_143135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k5Qqe4Zcljw/VgXBdn-MiAI/AAAAAAAABlk/KTphjTqJUyg/s320/IMG_20150915_143135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Casita. Camping.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lq4T7a_sJ1E/VgXBiYJHTlI/AAAAAAAABlw/YtnzIwXfyLo/s1600/IMG_20150915_182630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lq4T7a_sJ1E/VgXBiYJHTlI/AAAAAAAABlw/YtnzIwXfyLo/s320/IMG_20150915_182630.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Famous John Beaver</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rndWYBYoCRM/VgXBd6B_WgI/AAAAAAAABlo/mBroxsjA6EQ/s1600/IMG_20150915_182621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rndWYBYoCRM/VgXBd6B_WgI/AAAAAAAABlo/mBroxsjA6EQ/s320/IMG_20150915_182621.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dugas and Moe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pk1fx-T-JUo/VgXBjhElxpI/AAAAAAAABl4/3fAcioc2uYA/s1600/IMG_20150915_184946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pk1fx-T-JUo/VgXBjhElxpI/AAAAAAAABl4/3fAcioc2uYA/s320/IMG_20150915_184946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Are you SURE you want to learn to play banjo?"</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-284vkKU5QXs/VgXBrEEXVzI/AAAAAAAABmU/aunBLuVlwAE/s1600/IMG_20150916_193132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-284vkKU5QXs/VgXBrEEXVzI/AAAAAAAABmU/aunBLuVlwAE/s320/IMG_20150916_193132.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The evening flight of turkey vultures coming to roost</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Winfield was fun. I didn't place in either contest and there was no question about that. I did better in the mandolin contest than I did guitar and got a lot of nice comments. One of the most appreciated was when Steve Kaufman- the original and for a long time only 3-time winner of the guitar contest- came over, pointed his breakfast banana at me and said "You played great in the mandolin contest! Smooth, clean, interesting... that was good!"&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5HOrT5Phjlc/VgXA8Dk3OVI/AAAAAAAABkA/evYWX0HDXFw/s1600/20150918_122200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5HOrT5Phjlc/VgXA8Dk3OVI/AAAAAAAABkA/evYWX0HDXFw/s320/20150918_122200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advice from Steve before the contest</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Wanna hear my contest tune? Video!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HLVHs1-rTRE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HLVHs1-rTRE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I drew next to last in the guitar contest and that gave me about 2.5 hours to listen to the other guys, get tense, and think about what I should've done. I played pretty good, but my arrangements and execution, honestly, are not up to Winfield standards. But I paid attention and brought some lessons home. This year was tough. &nbsp;Of the 5 finalists, 4 were previous winners. And at least 3 previous winners did not make the cut, as well as a few professional musicians there to try their hand at the contest. So, it was no dishonor to not make it. I think I could've played better and done more, though. Next year, maybe I will.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wbH_NJW3AnI/VgXA73tkn8I/AAAAAAAABj8/NLC_INldFLk/s1600/20150918_134416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wbH_NJW3AnI/VgXA73tkn8I/AAAAAAAABj8/NLC_INldFLk/s320/20150918_134416.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here comes that train!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0KfmO-V-9FE/VgXA7JbUbFI/AAAAAAAABjw/kwX-Gc8YfyI/s1600/20150918_134440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0KfmO-V-9FE/VgXA7JbUbFI/AAAAAAAABjw/kwX-Gc8YfyI/s320/20150918_134440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking away!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIfrPADjOI0/VgXBCQT5tPI/AAAAAAAABkU/znHQ4joH-1o/s1600/20150919_081956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIfrPADjOI0/VgXBCQT5tPI/AAAAAAAABkU/znHQ4joH-1o/s320/20150919_081956.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up for the guitar contest</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKcT3ocucm8/VgXBCnmeKVI/AAAAAAAABkY/DWSUEN-_ZAo/s1600/20150919_112237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKcT3ocucm8/VgXBCnmeKVI/AAAAAAAABkY/DWSUEN-_ZAo/s320/20150919_112237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't play well, but here I am.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1fO79pVfQk/VgXBk1eoA3I/AAAAAAAABmA/NGEYudsxXOQ/s1600/IMG_20150916_074032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1fO79pVfQk/VgXBk1eoA3I/AAAAAAAABmA/NGEYudsxXOQ/s320/IMG_20150916_074032.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6kGXx3QNWgo/VgXBponLp6I/AAAAAAAABmI/GwitR7gBAC0/s1600/IMG_20150916_074036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6kGXx3QNWgo/VgXBponLp6I/AAAAAAAABmI/GwitR7gBAC0/s320/IMG_20150916_074036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek slept well.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That was Winfield. It was a fun but tiring week and we drove 1400 miles round trip. On the way home, I decided that 2015 would be my last year. Next year, I'm going elk bowhunting or fishing or whatever. It's getting really hard to hear in noisy environments and I had a hard time participating in anything other than very small group conversations. So, I'm done. Of course, when I got home, I started learning new tunes and practicing. Maybe I'll go but just not say anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is long enough. &nbsp;Next time, I'll talk about cattle shipping and the End of The Year. Maybe I'll even have a photo of me opening a box of the Revised and Updated 2nd Edition of "Falconry Equipment". &nbsp;We'll see.</div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-82958840123484658082015-09-12T17:49:00.001-06:002015-09-12T17:49:41.069-06:00The Big Fast TrainThe big fast train is here. &nbsp;"What", you ask, "is 'the big fast train'?" It's a concept that I use to describe events that are a long time in the future and seem like they'll never get here. &nbsp;Then, suddenly, they are here. I don't know if you've ever been out West (where the horizons are a long ways off) and watched a train coming, but you'll often see them way out there, sometimes as nothing more than a dot, a million miles away. You can sit beside the track and spit your tobacco (if you chew, and you really should quit if you do) and wait. Nothing happens. The dot doesn't seem to get closer but if you keep waiting, after awhile you'll start feeling the tracks vibrate a little. The train still seems a long ways off. When it gets closer, you can start making out details. Closer still and maybe the conductor will blow the whistle to warn you to get your foot off the track where you've been feeling for vibrations. And then, with a lot of noise and rumbling and flying cinders and whooshing air, the train is HERE! The ground shakes, the rails flex, your eardrums scream at the noise and commotion and then...WHOOSH!!!!.... it's gone. And off into the distance it goes until it becomes a small dot on the other horizon and before long maybe you don't trust that your memory was all that good and it really wasn't all that. So, wait for another train.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/train-tracks-horizon-13180571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/train-tracks-horizon-13180571.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div><br /><br />That's what long-anticipated events are like. You plan and prepare and it seems like the date will never get here and then, suddenly, it's here and like a fully loaded train, it sometimes threatens to just flat-out run you over.<br /><br />My big train right now is "Winfield" or, as it's more formally called, the <a href="https://wvfest.com/" target="_blank">Walnut Valley Festival.</a>&nbsp;This is home of the National Flatpicking Guitar (and other instruments) contest and this year, I'm entered in both mandolin and guitar. I did the guitar contest 4x- 1994, '97, '98, '99- and the mandolin once ('99, I think) but then quit contesting and just focused on playing. There is a maximum of 40 contestants, each of whom play 2 tunes. From these, 5 "make the cut" to the finals where they play 2 more tunes and from here, 3 are winners. It's a very prestigious contest and hard, too. On any given year, there will be 3-9 former winners and your first job, if you wanna make the cut, is to beat them. Also on any given year, only 1-2 of those former winners will make the cut themselves. It used to bother me that I competed for 4 years and didn't make the cut and then I thought harder about the fact that a lot of great players don't make it either.<br /><br />This year, I needed some motivation to practice guitar and I was starting to feel semi-creative again after a long <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-2015.html" target="_blank">non-creative period,</a> so in March, I signed up for the contest. &nbsp;This kicked me into a frenzy of tune preparation and practicing. I could see the big train down the line and knew it was coming and I wanted to be ready. The train isn't quite here yet, but the tracks are shaking. Our truck is loaded up and tomorrow, Derek and I head off to Dallas TX and then up to Winfield. Once I get to Winfield, I'll be able to see the conductor and hear the whistle. At the end of the week- on Friday, at approx 1 pm- after being intimidated by 15 year old hot-shots backstage, I will step on the mandolin stage, sit down in front of the mic, adjust my chair, look at my rhythm guitar player, and then...I'll play the first note of my first tune. At that point, the train will be upon me. I'll be a little nervous, but with any luck, I won't forget, mid-stream, what tune I'm playing like I did in the guitar contest one year when I had to just rip around in the scale for a few seconds until I remembered and got back on track. On Saturday morning, I'll do it again in the guitar contest, but having- hopefully- survived the mandolin contest, I should be more relaxed. My goal is to simply make the cut. If I make the cut in either contest, I will pass out backstage and be the first person in the history of the contest to fail to make the finals because he's passed out backstage from excitement.<br /><br />If you want to hear quick recordings of my contest tunes, go <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7JoxNa1-Aybfk4zNkp5bUczT0pNTzR6UEdpc25iME1qOWFhSThQeGt5a2pJZmZBOGZ2SEk" target="_blank">here</a>. These were done with a simple digital recorder sitting on my desk, just so I could hear how the tunes actually sounded.<br /><br />In May, I noticed that I'd started to put finish wear on the top of my mandolin neck. I bought this mandolin new in 2002 and I've never worn a mandolin neck before- 2 guitar necks, yes, but never a mandolin. I took pictures.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1um91QKJ53s/VfS1ullhFgI/AAAAAAAABi4/uWXSVuDhcRw/s1600/SAM_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1um91QKJ53s/VfS1ullhFgI/AAAAAAAABi4/uWXSVuDhcRw/s320/SAM_2955.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish wear in June</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L2WcCBU_Txc/VfS1u-bd4LI/AAAAAAAABjA/w-_WwBcft98/s1600/SAM_2990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L2WcCBU_Txc/VfS1u-bd4LI/AAAAAAAABjA/w-_WwBcft98/s320/SAM_2990.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish wear in Sept</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsu7Zvq_mRI/VfS1u1UNV5I/AAAAAAAABi8/onT5ACmShZ4/s1600/SAM_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsu7Zvq_mRI/VfS1u1UNV5I/AAAAAAAABi8/onT5ACmShZ4/s320/SAM_2991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underside of neck.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span id="goog_1909837120"></span>So, why I am going to Winfield via Dallas? &nbsp;Well, several months ago, I got it into my head that we needed a Casita travel trailer. Derek and I have been doing a lot more fishing, archery shoots, and just getting out and I would really, really like to have a little trailer that I don't have to pop-up and which has a bathroom and shower. The Casita fits the bill. The family was a little hesitant but one day we headed off to Clayton Lake to go fishing and I brought up the topic. As we came down the hill to the lake, lo and behold, can you believe it? There was a Casita travel trailer! The owner kindly gave the family a quick tour and our fate was sealed.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTAwWDE2MDA=/z/tisAAOSwDk5UBl05/$_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTAwWDE2MDA=/z/tisAAOSwDk5UBl05/$_1.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not our trailer. This is what they look like.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/7/images/casita-small-travel-trailer-rv-floorplan-spirit.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/7/images/casita-small-travel-trailer-rv-floorplan-spirit.gif" height="285" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're getting a 16' for the lower weight</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I started earnestly searching for a used one but they are hard to find and the only ones I found were 7-9 hour drives away and, yeah the pictures look good, but who knows what condition they were really in? I decided to check prices on new ones and what do you know? Casita is having a sale. The price quoted for a brand-new trailer was barely higher than what I was looking at for 10 year old trailers. I figured that in 10 years, I'd have a 10-year old trailer instead of a 20-year old trailer, and so, thanks to generous financial donation from my mother, I ordered a new one. Lead time was 2.5 months and there, folks, is another big fast train. After all this anticipation and preparation, Monday, Lord willing!, we will hook the new trailer to our truck.<br /><br />In other news, Derek and I have been fly fishing. After testing the waters ourselves, I decided to hire a guide and jump start the process. We ended up selling 2 of our doe pronghorn permits and using that money to finance a full day's fishing on our local waters. We learned a LOT and had a lot of fun. I hope this is something that we'll be doing more of in upcoming years. Thanks to <a href="http://www.eaglenestflyshack.com/" target="_blank">Eagle Nest Fly Shack </a>in, appropriately, Eagle Nest, NM<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygVkSAlKlyg/VfS0RORdHAI/AAAAAAAABiU/eJXsQyCUlCc/s1600/20150818_104533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygVkSAlKlyg/VfS0RORdHAI/AAAAAAAABiU/eJXsQyCUlCc/s320/20150818_104533.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek's first Brown trout (yes, the fish was back in the water quickly)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFz1MVRTzPE/VfS0YhZ_r9I/AAAAAAAABic/Sk1CDJCtiUQ/s1600/IMG_20150804_191855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFz1MVRTzPE/VfS0YhZ_r9I/AAAAAAAABic/Sk1CDJCtiUQ/s320/IMG_20150804_191855.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stalking fish pre-guide</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dm048y6px4g/VfS0ZEYQLFI/AAAAAAAABig/8FfuwDz1Y8U/s1600/IMG_20150818_083422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dm048y6px4g/VfS0ZEYQLFI/AAAAAAAABig/8FfuwDz1Y8U/s320/IMG_20150818_083422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek and guide</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Last bit of news... "Falconry Equipment" is being edited by my co-author Jim Hodge as we speak. When I get back from Winfield- Lord willing- I will make suggested corrections and send it off to the printer. I should have copies in hand by mid-October, if all goes well.<br /><br />It's been a great summer. I'm looking forward to fall.<br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-64261099631195472002015-07-14T07:34:00.000-06:002015-07-14T17:54:25.379-06:00Archery Adventure 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We are back from another NFAA Grand Field archery shoot. This is for the State Championship and it is a long 2-day shoot in which one shoots the Field, Animal, and Hunter round in 2-days for a total of at least 252 scored shots. The round is outdoors and there's a lot of hiking up and down hills in the July sun. &nbsp;It's a tiring round to shoot! &nbsp;There are 6 lead-in shoots at which the winner is given 10 points, 2nd place 9, and so forth. &nbsp;You can bring 40 points to the Grand Field and then score a potential of 30 points (10 for each round) at the Grand Field. It's important to shoot the lead-in shoot as you can win the Grand Field, but lose the championship if you only shoot 3 of the lead-in rounds and your competitor shoots 4 or more. More on this later!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://scbaarchery.org/wp-content/uploads/fhascoreing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://scbaarchery.org/wp-content/uploads/fhascoreing.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoring the rounds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Derek and I spent both nights at long-time falconer Tom Smylie's house in Edgewood NM and had a great visit there. Tom goes WAY back in falconry- longer than I've been alive, actually- and knows everyone and everything about it. Derek had a good discussion with him and maybe learned a few things about campers, hawks, falcons, pigeons, dogs, book, kayaks, climbing, search/rescue,...<br /><br />At the shoot, the first day went well and normally. &nbsp;I matched my highest score on the Animal round and Derek broke his own records in the Field and Animal rounds. &nbsp;We left Tom's at 6:15 am and got back at 6:30 pm. &nbsp;Long day. I was happy because I've been having rotator cuff issues all summer and in fact had skipped some of the earlier shoots in Jan-Mar due to this. At some point, I discovered kinesiology tape and started using it on my shoulder. &nbsp;Mark me down as a believer; after shooting about 150 arrows on Saturday with the tape in place, my shoulder was great. <br /><br />Day Two: I started the day 100 points up on my next competitor. &nbsp;Should be an easy win, right? &nbsp;Especially when the next 2 guys below me didn't show for Sunday's shoot... Derek was about 50 points up on 2nd place. Off we went. &nbsp;About Target 4, my bow was shooting high and it just got higher and higher so that by Target 7, I was using my 20 yard pin at 35 yards. Something was going on and I couldn't figure it out. &nbsp;On round 8, my first two arrows went high off the bullseye. Arrow 3 went about 18" low, completely off the target face! &nbsp;I was positive I'd used the right pin, so I shot again... pow... same low spot. &nbsp;When I looked at my bow, I saw the problem... my arrow rest launcher was broken. &nbsp;At every other shoot I'd shot for the past 3 years, I'd taken an extra bow. &nbsp;This time? &nbsp;No. &nbsp;And of course, I have an equipment failure. &nbsp;Well, I was dead in the water now! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hEP10srHqxc/VaUH0P9Lj7I/AAAAAAAABgM/RNuK7Xqca1Y/s1600/IMG_20150712_114326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hEP10srHqxc/VaUH0P9Lj7I/AAAAAAAABgM/RNuK7Xqca1Y/s320/IMG_20150712_114326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken rest!!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://arizonaarchery.com/Shop/37-378-large_default/pro-droplimb-acivated-fall-away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://arizonaarchery.com/Shop/37-378-large_default/pro-droplimb-acivated-fall-away.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What it's supposed to look like</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Or so I thought. &nbsp;After trying to shoot Derek's bow and taking a "0" on the next several long shots (50-70 yards), we were back to a 30 yard target and I decided to at least try to score some points. By holding my 60 yard pin up and to the right about "this far", I managed to sink an arrow in the 4 ring. After that, I just kept working on it and by the time we got done, I was able to score 16's (4- 4 rings) on the 40 yard target and score a whopping 320 points (compared to my regular 500-ish). &nbsp;Derek, in the meantime, was shooting great and scored another new State record of 528. &nbsp;A perfect score is 560.<br /><br />Derek's day was not w/out excitement, though, as Bob lost Derek's scorecard just before the start of the 2nd round. We have 2 cards for this very reason and I quickly took a picture of my copy for safekeeping. We started a new card, someone found the original card, Bob transferred scores, and all was well.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UyYJYebuVk/VaUH_MrUGII/AAAAAAAABgU/YpQvQJgs-Vs/s1600/IMG_20150712_092353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UyYJYebuVk/VaUH_MrUGII/AAAAAAAABgU/YpQvQJgs-Vs/s320/IMG_20150712_092353.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek shooting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x42CjGCXOpU/VaUICeiTWGI/AAAAAAAABgc/usvMu5X30Dk/s1600/IMG_20150712_093456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x42CjGCXOpU/VaUICeiTWGI/AAAAAAAABgc/usvMu5X30Dk/s320/IMG_20150712_093456.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talking to Bob, District chairman</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Back at the pavilion, scores started coming in. Derek won easily. &nbsp;In my class, Competitors #2, 3 had gone home, but #4's score beat me by a mere 40 points. I wrestled with this a bit because he had 7 sight pins on his bow and you're only allowed 5 in my class. I wondered whether to protest him and make an enemy or just let it go. Then I remember the lead-in shoots....and he hadn't shot any of them. In the end, it turned out that he was shooting as a "guest" and got no points anyway. So, I took my 2nd State Championship. &nbsp;Had I started shooting w/out my rest and not taken the 0's, I might've beat him straight up!<br /><br />Derek, on the other hand and to his immediate disappointment, lost the championship due to the fact that he'd only shot 2 lead-in shoots and the other boy had shot 3. Maybe math will become useful to him now! &nbsp;On the upside, if he'd won, then he would have 3 State C's to my 2. &nbsp;Now, we're even! &nbsp;Yeah! &nbsp;But, me, I have no records, and Derek broke 3 of his own records today, probably setting them away for awhile.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ntKWanP2as8/VaUIEu-sHHI/AAAAAAAABgk/VNIUIUom29Y/s1600/IMG_20150712_141837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ntKWanP2as8/VaUIEu-sHHI/AAAAAAAABgk/VNIUIUom29Y/s320/IMG_20150712_141837.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State Championship #2!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After shooting, it was time to go fishing. &nbsp;We both had new fly-fishing gear to try and so it was off to Coyote Creek SP to fish and camp. Coyote creek was busy and we ended up catching nothing. To make the best of our time in Northern New Mexico, we decided to move on to another area and headed for Red River. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LaMv-C0a1dI/VaUIR8J4uRI/AAAAAAAABgw/Kcy6cqBtNF4/s1600/IMG_20150712_193503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LaMv-C0a1dI/VaUIR8J4uRI/AAAAAAAABgw/Kcy6cqBtNF4/s320/IMG_20150712_193503.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing Coyote Creek</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At Red River, I spotted "Starr Fly Fishing" and we pulled in. The sales help gal was very helpful (and more than slightly cute...) and we left with directions and some new gear (a Fishpond San Juan pack for me) and headed to Fawn Lakes. That was a nice location and even though we didn't catch anything in the heat of the day, we had fun and we'll be back when it's cooler and the tourist season slacks off a little bit.<br /><br />Our next stop was the trusty Cimarron Canyon and this time we were going to try the "Special Trout Waters". &nbsp;That ended up being too tough for us, due to the brush along the road, and so we moved down to the easy Gravel Pit lake. &nbsp;There, we found some other fly fishermen working the little "dam" and while I spin-fished (I really wanted Derek to catch the first fly trout), Derek talked to the guys fishing there and got some good pointers. &nbsp;Before long, he had his first fly-fish trout and was happy as a clam, even though he looks sleepy in the photo. He was bound and determined to catch a fish with his fly-rod and it was great seeing him finally succeed, even though it was slow going to that point. He also got some good casting and fly pointers from an older guy there and was casting pretty well by the end of the day. I asked Derek about catching the fish on a fly-rod and he said it hit a lot harder and it was more fun fighting it in. He continued to fly-fish after this and moved away from the easy waterfall to the little pond behind it where the "big boys" were casting. He had one there, too, but lost it bringing it in. The "big boys" literally applauded him when he was fighting it and he got a kick out of that.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bVEtRjfZlmY/VaUIRjn1fgI/AAAAAAAABgs/lSZ-J-HIYbA/s1600/IMG_20150713_193340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bVEtRjfZlmY/VaUIRjn1fgI/AAAAAAAABgs/lSZ-J-HIYbA/s320/IMG_20150713_193340.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek's first fly fish trout</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We finally headed home about 8 pm, driving thru a big thunderstorm/rain to arrive home, very tired and stinky at 10:30 pm. &nbsp;Shower and bed were quickly in order. &nbsp;We're already talking about going back to Red River. &nbsp;I've still got my trout to catch, after all.<br /><br />Lessons learned:<br />1) Shoot the shoots.<br />2) Carry spare rest launchers.<br />3) Don't give up. Throw arrows at the target if you have to.<br /><br /><br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-81977159099220500922015-07-09T19:34:00.001-06:002015-07-09T19:35:25.792-06:00July 2015I don't have a funny creative title for this post so I'll just call it like it is. &nbsp;Last time I checked in, I'd just broken my foot. It took a full 6 weeks for that heal, but it finally did. I wore my walking cast for 5 of those 6 weeks; every time I tried to do without it, my foot would hurt w/in a few steps. &nbsp;So I wore the boot.<br /><br />It's been raining. &nbsp;A lot. &nbsp;May was the rainiest month on record since the early 1900's. The grass grew unbelievably well, ponds/creeks filled up and it was just about perfect really. &nbsp;For the first time in 5 years, we were able to stock decent numbers of cattle.<br /><br />Here's a little video of us taking some of the first cattle to water. &nbsp;This is before the rains really kicked in, so it's still pretty brown.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yj3cVTHWt2k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yj3cVTHWt2k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6kFH-3c0SAk/VZ8fgVhZlgI/AAAAAAAABfQ/arXdK_q5Szo/s1600/IMG_20150505_160528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6kFH-3c0SAk/VZ8fgVhZlgI/AAAAAAAABfQ/arXdK_q5Szo/s320/IMG_20150505_160528.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incoming!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1s98_KCRpAQ/VZ8ZAzmQwBI/AAAAAAAABeU/JN7jA-jEEAs/s1600/IMG_20150519_072920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1s98_KCRpAQ/VZ8ZAzmQwBI/AAAAAAAABeU/JN7jA-jEEAs/s320/IMG_20150519_072920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooded yard from the 1st big rain</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GGeZ0AvY7Hg/VZ8ZAHzMppI/AAAAAAAABeQ/wHWMv-IAyW0/s1600/IMG_20150524_160523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GGeZ0AvY7Hg/VZ8ZAHzMppI/AAAAAAAABeQ/wHWMv-IAyW0/s320/IMG_20150524_160523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Sglq3cHgZ0/VZ8ZAjtbMGI/AAAAAAAABec/VDzMQ1GHn_I/s1600/IMG_20150608_194339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Sglq3cHgZ0/VZ8ZAjtbMGI/AAAAAAAABec/VDzMQ1GHn_I/s320/IMG_20150608_194339.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More clouds!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DvU4KILSGeM/VZ8ZXSjpKQI/AAAAAAAABew/Vl8hy21jh9E/s1600/IMG_20150611_102504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DvU4KILSGeM/VZ8ZXSjpKQI/AAAAAAAABew/Vl8hy21jh9E/s320/IMG_20150611_102504.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down at the creek</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq-vfIsd3iY/VZ8ZW4jBQiI/AAAAAAAABeo/GWcWOkb5ABI/s1600/IMG_20150709_183735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq-vfIsd3iY/VZ8ZW4jBQiI/AAAAAAAABeo/GWcWOkb5ABI/s320/IMG_20150709_183735.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 9</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In between rains- it felt good to say that!- we got some hay to get ready for winter. &nbsp;We have fewer over-wintering horses, far more grass in the pasture, and should be able to get by with less hay.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXS3_NW4Eb4/VZ8ZZ0vi4zI/AAAAAAAABe4/f_Kue3lTvIY/s1600/IMG_20150624_122447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXS3_NW4Eb4/VZ8ZZ0vi4zI/AAAAAAAABe4/f_Kue3lTvIY/s320/IMG_20150624_122447.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mere 40 bales</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>All this sounds happy and cheerful. &nbsp;Me, though, I've been really struggling to get moving sometimes. I think the release of the stress of the past 4 years has just wiped me out and some days I can't do anything but sit at the computer and surf around. I had to cut way back on guitar work this spring and summer as I just had to have a break. The thought of getting up and doing something just flattens me. Eventually, I get over it and get up and going, but it's hard some days. Fortunately, I have jobs where if I need to sit and drink coffee until noon, I can. That's a tremendous blessing. I play my guitar a lot, but it's hard to find much joy in it and it gets frustrating. My hearing sucks and it's not going to get better... it's just a real struggle playing these days. Nevertheless, I just keep at it and plow on and eventually the black cloud goes away. It helps a lot to look outside at the green grass, big fluffy clouds, and rain on the horizon. It also helps a lot to think about the temporality of this life and focus ahead on the things to come.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been doing a lot of reading on physics, vibrations, energy, music, and God and those are stimulating things that get my brain going. Lots of food for thought there. This perks me up considerably.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/t31.0-8/11722418_837016936395087_2040070419413709666_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music books</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2d9Rk8NNmU/VZ8g3015LZI/AAAAAAAABfk/6Qbofe0kvxY/s1600/IMG_20150709_193015%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2d9Rk8NNmU/VZ8g3015LZI/AAAAAAAABfk/6Qbofe0kvxY/s320/IMG_20150709_193015%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Energy books</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose I'll end this with another little video. &nbsp;I went to check the mail and found 17 steers lounging in front of the pens where the cows were being temporarily held. Turns out that a gate 1.5 miles away had come loose and the steers went walk-about outback. Derek and I easily herded them back with the help of Spots and Risky.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/20F17VshHQk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/20F17VshHQk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thank God for the rain!</div><div><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-28377627496378837492015-04-26T13:45:00.000-06:002015-04-26T14:49:00.221-06:00My Worst Day Ranching (so far)<div align="center"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sitting here on Sunday, expecting this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ED8S57vf5ks/VT05Q1QLMTI/AAAAAAAABbQ/yFyeiFCK3UQ/s1600/Weather%2Bforecast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ED8S57vf5ks/VT05Q1QLMTI/AAAAAAAABbQ/yFyeiFCK3UQ/s1600/Weather%2Bforecast.png" height="320" width="184" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and 3 loads of cattle on Monday. &nbsp;It reminded me of a story I've had on my website for a long time and I thought I'd post it here, with pictures. &nbsp;Here we go:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">---------------------</div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">late-May 2001</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Some days are diamonds. Some days are coal".</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">My wife, 3-month old son (David), and 7-year-old daughter were away in Albuquerque to evaluate him for double-hernia surgery and I was at home alone, expecting 6 semi-truck loads of cattle (96 head per truck) the next morning. That night, it rained, and rained, and rained. I love&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bryankimsey.com/ranch/rain.htm">rain</a>, but keep in mind that we live down 10 miles of dirt road and semi-trucks aren’t exactly four-wheel-drive pickups. I was up before dawn to eat a breakfast of bagel and coffee and await the incoming trucks, which can show up at any time.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Our house is backed with a 300-acre "shipping trap", a small pasture where I can keep cattle just prior to shipping. This year, I had been off-loading incoming cattle into this pasture to keep them for a week or two to train them to the feed wagon. The better trained they are to the feed wagon, the tamer they get, and the better they ship in the fall. This year’s batch was not cooperating at all and ran&nbsp;<em>from</em>&nbsp;the feed-wagon, instead of running&nbsp;<em>to</em>&nbsp;the wagon. After I finished my bagel, I looked out at the slowly graying sky and noticed that about 300 head of cattle were piled into a corner of the trap right near the house. This is an ideal situation for training steers to feed because you can feed right in front of them and they have to cross the feed to get away. Some will smell and stop and eat, and that’s often all it takes to get the whole bunch to stop and feed. And I knew they’d be cold and hungry after a night of rain.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXtZWnd1Miw/VT076vBLHGI/AAAAAAAABbo/8gcGdHijsTE/s1600/July_water_mill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXtZWnd1Miw/VT076vBLHGI/AAAAAAAABbo/8gcGdHijsTE/s1600/July_water_mill.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Old Blue"- no longer with us- pulling a water tank.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I ran outside and jumped in "Old Blue"- a 1986 Ford F250 4WD- already hooked up to the feed trailer. It was still raining, but gently. As I approached the trapped cattle, they panicked and started to run east along the fence. In this situation, you can often drive the truck right in front of them and make them stop. That’s what I did. What I didn’t count on was the slick grass of the rain-soaked pasture, and when I hit the brakes, the truck, backed with about 2,000 lbs of feed in the trailer, slid about 30 yards across the pasture. Right into the barbed wire fence. Pow!!! Barbed wire is tough, but it’s no match for a pickup truck with feed trailer and I busted thru 3 of the 4 wires. The other wire wrapped around my front wheel. Okay, so here I am with a gaping hole in the fence and 300 ill-trained, panicky steers coming straight for me. I jumped out, got the steers turned and ended up just tying the broken wire to the pickup and leaving the truck in the hole. As I walked back to the house, it was raining harder, and the wind had picked up to about 25-30 mph.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Just as I reached the house, I saw 3 of the 5 expected trucks rolling up at the main intersection, about ¼ mile from the house. The trucks usually come from the east, but these were coming from the north. Still, they had to be mine. I ran into the house and looked frantically for a rain coat, tracking mud all over the house. No luck, and I KNOW I have a great rain slicker somewhere… Finally giving up, I hooked up the portable loading chute to my other pickup and drove to the intersection. It was still raining. The brand inspector was there (all incoming cattle are inspected) and after talking about it, we decided to just unload the trucks directly into the pasture instead of taking them to the small set of pens 3 miles down the road where we normally unload. This way the trucks wouldn’t have to turn around in the pasture, but could just continue down the hard-packed caliche road back to pavement. The first 3 trucks went fine, although it was still raining at times. Then the brand inspector’s cell phone rang. Bad news.&nbsp; The other 2 trucks had slid off the dirt road on a steep banked curve, back in Grenville, 10 miles away. Uh-oh.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0Ieyh8fBS4/VT05JMufnAI/AAAAAAAABaA/AGFmYQg7bz8/s1600/SAM_2907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0Ieyh8fBS4/VT05JMufnAI/AAAAAAAABaA/AGFmYQg7bz8/s1600/SAM_2907.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The curve today. The banks were steeper and the road narrower in 2001</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">We decided that there was nothing to do but take the portable chute and unload the cattle there. Maybe we’d be able to drive 192 head of cattle into a neighbor’s nearby trap of about 7 acres until I could get some help. The brand inspector took off to check out the situation and I loaded up the chute. I wished I could also load up my ATV, but I didn’t have a loading ramp and couldn’t back up into the ditch like I normally do, because of the mud, or load it into a trailer because I was already towing the portable chute. "Well, I won’t need it", I stupidly reckoned. "And besides, it’s raining!" So, I headed north, driving about 20 miles/hour to keep the poorly designed loading chute from fishtailing back and forth as it was towed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kMGrM-1QlAU/VT05Qn_iIII/AAAAAAAABbY/bH_L4P9nKbM/s1600/SAM_2917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kMGrM-1QlAU/VT05Qn_iIII/AAAAAAAABbY/bH_L4P9nKbM/s1600/SAM_2917.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The portable chute, at ease (and missing one support)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">At the scene, things looked ugly. The first truck had slid off the banked turn into the muddy ditch and the second truck, rather than simply wait and be patient, decided to go around the first truck.&nbsp; He slid into the first truck and scraped along until he cleared it and then slid into the ditch himself. This put his rear door (where the cattle come out) almost butt-up against the nose of the first truck. It was obvious that we were going to have to move one of the trucks to unload the other. And, you don’t just yank fully loaded cattle trucks out of a muddy ditch. By this time, there were two brand-inspectors present, a county road employee, and an interested neighbor on the scene.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I managed to back the loading chute up to the first truck w/out getting stuck in the ditch myself. Remember- the ditch isn’t level! It’s banked. I could just picture the cattle tipping that chute over as they exited the truck.&nbsp; The problem here is that the butt of the truck was facing north and the cattle needed to go south.&nbsp; We'd have to unload them in the ditch and then turn them around to drive them south.&nbsp;&nbsp; I drove my pickup down the road to guard it so that the unloading cattle wouldn’t hit the highway about 2 miles away. The road was fenced in on both sides, making a great "alley".&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The first 14 head exited the truck, running full-blast down the road toward me. I got 10 turned, no problem, but 4 broke past me (NOW I needed that ATV!!!) as I tried not to get stuck in the ditch. It was still raining. I got the pickup in front of them and stopped right in their path. Three of them turned and jumped the barbed wire fence into the adjacent pasture and the 4<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;charged right for me! I jumped into the bed of the pickup and felt his head brush my feet! Then, he went around the truck and headed for the highway! It would be bad if he hit the road- one of the most-traveled in the state of New Mexico.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, cattle are pouring off the truck, but most have joined the first 10 I got turned and are now heading south, like good cattle, bless their bovine hearts! I tore off down the road, got around the steer again, and pulled up in front of him again. He simply jumped into the small gap between the truck and fence and took off to the north! Once again, I got in front of him and this time, pushed the truck right up against the fence. The steer stopped and butted my truck tire with his head. I rolled my window down to swat him and he just about came thru the window into the truck before dodging around the truck to the rear. We were now only about ½ mile from the highway and I had to stop this steer. So, I got him lined up and hit him in the butt with the truck. He turned and charged the truck and I just let him have it, head to head! If my pickup had an airbag, it would’ve deployed, no question! He went down and I stopped the truck with him trapped under the bumper. The brand inspector drove up just then and I grabbed a rope, jumped on the steer and hog-tied his legs together, and just left him flopping around in the ditch.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmP_iwdwYes/VT05IxoquEI/AAAAAAAABZ0/44QjH8G2OIg/s1600/SAM_2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmP_iwdwYes/VT05IxoquEI/AAAAAAAABZ0/44QjH8G2OIg/s1600/SAM_2905.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where I left the renegade steer- the highway is just over the hill</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">While all this was happening, the first truck was unloaded and the county brought over a bulldozer that was fortuitously parked nearby. They pulled the first truck, now unloaded and some 45,000 lbs lighter, backwards out of the ditch. I hooked up and moved the loading chute up to the second truck, again managing not to get stuck in the ditch, and we started unloading it. To hook up the loading chute, you have to lift the two side supports, pin them in place, attach a tongue with hitch, and pin it in place. Since the supports are now gone, someone either has to hold the tongue up while someone else backs the truck up, or you have to lay the tongue down and back up as close as you can, then lift the tongue up, and pull the trailer into place. It’s easy with two people, but alone, it’s not easy on dry, hard ground and downright tough in a muddy, sloppy, non-level ditch. It was still raining and I was getting kind of wet. We got the second truck unloaded w/out incident, and all the cattle turned and heading south along the alley.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljE9sPjsZ8E/VT05KCQR4wI/AAAAAAAABaI/PKD1LZ-WpY8/s1600/SAM_2908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljE9sPjsZ8E/VT05KCQR4wI/AAAAAAAABaI/PKD1LZ-WpY8/s1600/SAM_2908.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Down the "alley". Road was dirt in 2001.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGj1FDJ5ZFw/VT05K3T4vfI/AAAAAAAABaM/GdjFI3tp1qg/s1600/SAM_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGj1FDJ5ZFw/VT05K3T4vfI/AAAAAAAABaM/GdjFI3tp1qg/s1600/SAM_2909.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few more miles down the alley</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">After some discussion, I learned that another neighbor was sending two of his "south of the border" hired hands over to help out. Whew! But they wouldn’t be here for awhile, so I decided to take the loading chute back to the house, grab my ATV and try to control the nearly 200 head of cattle running down the alley until help arrived. I got the chute hooked up again and head for home. I passed the lead cattle a few miles later and saw an ugly situation developing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As I mentioned earlier, the road was fenced in on both sides, but only for 7 of the 10 miles. You then hit a cattleguard and enter another pasture that is only fenced on 1 side for a mile, and is open on both sides for another mile, before hitting another alley. This pasture happened to be stocked with cows and calves and 2 bulls. So, not only did I need to drive my own steers thru this pasture, w/out the aid of a fence, but also I had to keep them separate from the cows and calves and bulls. The ugly situation was that the lead steers were still running full-tilt down the road and I knew that when they hit that cattleguard, they’d just jump it and keep right on going. I had approximately 30 minutes to get to the house, unhook the chute, load up my ATV in the trailer, and get myself back to the cattleguard to block the oncoming beeves. Grabbing a bite of lunch was out of the question.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wODQUNpFzYI/VT05Lg2COQI/AAAAAAAABaY/8bxUVHT-7ME/s1600/SAM_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wODQUNpFzYI/VT05Lg2COQI/AAAAAAAABaY/8bxUVHT-7ME/s1600/SAM_2910.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cattle guard and the end of the alley</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As I crested a small hill leading down to the last couple of miles, the loading chute came unhooked from the trailer hitch. The support arms dug into the road and&nbsp; in my rear view mirror I saw the chute rise almost straight up before- fortunately!!!- plunging back down to earth! My first though was "just leave it there!", but then I realized that the hill was "blind" and someone driving south was not going to see the chute until they hit it. So, back I went. The impact had bent the support arms of the trailer and I couldn’t get it hooked up to the pickup. Nor could I push it up the hill. I got my pickup out of the way (it was still raining, of course), lifted the tongue of the trailer up, and ran it downhill into the ditch and managed to drop it without getting run over myself. Back in the truck, I headed home to get my ATV and trailer. I wondered how many more times I was going to have to lift that accursed loading chute….</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tmpY4ZEjgFs/VT05OqGUlcI/AAAAAAAABa0/U1hFo7DFldI/s1600/SAM_2914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tmpY4ZEjgFs/VT05OqGUlcI/AAAAAAAABa0/U1hFo7DFldI/s1600/SAM_2914.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The chute came off just over this blind rise</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">At the house, the first ATV wouldn’t start. Dead battery. I got the second ATV started and rode over to the old horse trailer to carry ATV’s. Now,&nbsp;I've&nbsp;just ridden the ATV over from the garage, so that means&nbsp;that pickup is over at the garage. I was starting to get a little tired and figured I’d just ride the ATV into the horse trailer and then go get the pickup. None of our horse trailer jacks are long enough and you have to stick something under the jack to get the hitch high enough to hook up to a tall 4WD pickup. And I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;have a real ATV ramp but was using some long boards as a ramp. When I hit the back&nbsp;of the trailer with the ATV, it put weight on the back of the trailer which caused the jack to lift off the wood I had under the jack and that let the trailer roll forward just a little which let it "get away" from the ATV. With the ATV’s weight off the back, the trailer immediately dove back down, burying the jack about 6" deep in the mud. At this point, I almost (almost!!!) cried. Oh, and it was still raining and the wind was still blowing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">There was nothing to do but drive the pickup over, get the high-lift jack out, jack up the trailer, get something underneath the trailer jack and start all over. Of course, when you jack up a trailer with a high-lift jack, it wants to twist the high-lift out from under it because you have to jack it from the side. So, I had to keep that jack from twisting out, while bent over, and push something underneath the trailer jack. Somehow I managed to do this. I tell ya, about this time, a helper&nbsp;would've&nbsp;been GREAT!!!!&nbsp;This time, I hooked the trailer up first (and this means you have guess where the hitch is, back up a little, jump out of the tall 4WD, check the hitch alignment, back up a little more, check again, too far….drive up, drive over, back up, check, drive back…..anyway, it took me 6 jump in/jump outs to get hooked up). Then I loaded up my ATV and headed back for the cattle.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As I crossed the cattle guard I saw a very, very welcome sight- the two Mexican helpers had arrived, one on an ATV and another on a horse and had gotten the cattle turned back from the cattleguard and bunched up with the stragglers. And the rain had stopped and the wind was dying down. I began to think that I might survive this day. I got past the Mexicans, after talking to one (who spoke English!!! My Spanish is awful), parked the truck and trailer, unloaded the ATV and went after them. Getting out of the truck onto the ATV also meant that Chance, The Wonder Dog, would be able to help. Now "all" we had to do was drive the cattle thru the open pasture, and providentially, the cows and calves and bulls had been driven by the wind and rain (and distant ATV’s) to the far side of the pasture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cattle were bunched up against the cattleguard, but the horse was able to gently work thru them so that the rider could open the gate and let them thru. We got ‘em strung out along the single fence, with the horse up front to keep the lead steers back and the cattle bunched up. About this time, another welcome face showed up- my mailman, having run his route and seeing the situation, brought his pickup and a horse trailer. Any lagging steer was quickly roped into the trailer and taken to my house and dropped off in the pens. This allowed us to keep the herd bunched tighter in preparation for the dash across the open pasture. If you let a string of cattle get too strung out, the herd will invariably split into two herds as the lead cattle get too far ahead and the stragglers straggle. Then you’ve got two herds to deal with instead of one. So, having the horse keep the lead runners back was invaluable. And Jimmy- God bless him!- had even managed to load the renegade steer that I’d hog-tied earlier that morning.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NduzoEHdTro/VT05MzQYSII/AAAAAAAABak/1g1PSVhH7MQ/s1600/SAM_2911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NduzoEHdTro/VT05MzQYSII/AAAAAAAABak/1g1PSVhH7MQ/s1600/SAM_2911.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The end of the alley. Open pasture to the left<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">We hit the open pasture in good shape. The wind had slowed, the rain was almost done, with just intermittent sprinkles, and the cattle were lined out nicely, and they were moving down the road. We crossed the open pasture and the lead steer was just 200 yards from the next "alley". I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Then, over the crest of the hill came….a vehicle. Of all the rotten timing!!! He was in the road, the steers were in the road. And, instead of putting the cattle between himself and the fence, thus forcing them tight against the fence, this driver chose to drive&nbsp;<i>between</i>&nbsp;the single fence and the cattle. The steers peeled off the fence like backing off of sticky paper and turned out into the open pasture. When cattle "peel" like this, they don’t follow the steer in front of them, but rather the whole line turns and suddenly, instead of having a "snake" of cattle with a single head, you have 192 heads all looking east. I didn’t wave when the driver finally made his way past me, having just sent our entire herd of cattle heading east, but neither did I run my ATV into his shiny new white pickup, so I thought I did okay there. Now, not only did we now have to circle them all back up, but we also had to get them lined up with the road-wide alley entrance.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRREYXI5FnY/VT05NUM_y0I/AAAAAAAABao/4K0i3x_a4EQ/s1600/SAM_2912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRREYXI5FnY/VT05NUM_y0I/AAAAAAAABao/4K0i3x_a4EQ/s1600/SAM_2912.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Truck came over the hill here</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">An hour later, we had the cattle excited, hot, tired, panicky, but headed into the alley. About 6-8 had been roped and dragged off to home. Of course, while the horse was doing this, we only had the 2 ATV’s to control the whole herd of cattle. Having just been spooked from the entrance to the alley by the truck, they were not keen about going back there, but we persevered.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Another hour after this, we were thru the second cattle guard and heading toward my gate. We only had 400 yards to go, but the cattle were exhausted, having gotten cold and wet, sustained 30 mph winds while cold and wet, and having just run 10 miles after being on a truck for 14 hours. Some of them just refused to walk any further, and a few actually dropped dead on their feet. They’d be walking along and just keel over sideways, dead. We lost 6 head (that's $700 each) in the last ¼ mile, but finally got the majority turned, thru the gate, and into the pasture. The big ugly job was done.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TVAxtsc9_to/VT05QYfbpMI/AAAAAAAABbI/4XTd0MAvhlA/s1600/SAM_2916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TVAxtsc9_to/VT05QYfbpMI/AAAAAAAABbI/4XTd0MAvhlA/s1600/SAM_2916.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The gate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">However, I still had to retrieve my loading chute since I had more cattle trucks coming in 2 days. And my truck and trailer were still 5 miles down the road (into a head-wind, of course). We started riding back toward the truck and trailer. The other ATV was well in front of me and I saw it pull off the road. "Out of gas", I figured. Right then, the horse and trailer drove up and the Mexicans discussed the ATV. I told them "I’ll just get my trailer and load both ATV’s up". So, I went on to my truck and loaded up my ATV. Drove back to the other ATV and the Mexicans were gone! Hey! I kind of wanted help loading the thing! Remember, I didn’t have an ATV ramp but was using boards to load the ATV in the horse trailer. I tried pushing the dead ATV into the trailer but couldn’t do it. So, I lined it up and tried pushing it with my ATV, but the front wheels would turn on the boards and it would fall off. Plus, I just couldn’t get traction on the muddy road. I tried towing it into the trailer, but again, couldn’t get traction, plus I couldn’t get the tow rope short enough- I could only get ½ the other ATV into the trailer and then it would roll back out, if the front wheels didn’t turn and knock the loading boards out of place. I was tired and getting frustrated.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t want to leave the ATV on the side of the road and only had about 30 minutes of daylight left, so I decided the easiest thing to do would be to tow the dead ATV back to the house with the live ATV. I hooked up the tow rope to the dead ATV and started off. Everything was looking fine for the first 3 miles. Then I hit a big downhill dip (just past where the loading chute had come off!) and the towed ATV gathered speed and started passing the towing ATV. At one point, the two ATV’s were head to head, and right then, then tow rope wrapped around the front axle of the towed ATV. It’s a wonder I wasn’t killed right there, as both ATV’s slid to a wet, muddy, stop a few inches from the edge of a 6’ drop over the creek. I wearily got down, unwrapped the tow rope from the axle and wheels (easier said than done), and managed to get the dead ATV back home w/out further incident. Ordinarily, I’d have just driven my spare pickup back to get the truck and trailer, and left it there until the next day, but remember, my spare truck was still buried in the fence from that morning. Plus, I had to get the loading chute out of the road because I just knew someone would plow into it in the dark. There was nothing to do but get on the ATV and ride back to the truck/trailer. Back into the wind. I was really getting cold and tired by now.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUu4cyItCzU/VT05QA_RgYI/AAAAAAAABbE/iNoQfVDIRaw/s1600/SAM_2915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUu4cyItCzU/VT05QA_RgYI/AAAAAAAABbE/iNoQfVDIRaw/s1600/SAM_2915.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Death by ATV Dip</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun was sinking when I finally got back to the house with the truck, trailer, and ATV. I got it unhooked and drove back for the loading chute. It was dark-thirty when I backed up to the loading chute. Remember, you have to get the truck close to the chute, then pick up the tongue and pull the chute up to the hitch. And the chute was in the muddy ditch, at an angle. I got backed up and with just about the last bit of energy I had left, lifted the chute tongue, and got it hooked up. I had to sit on the tailgate for a few seconds to recharge before I could get a sledgehammer and pound the chute’s supports up enough so that they wouldn’t drag and I could drive the chute home. I drove home pretty slow and just left the chute connected in the driveway.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I still had one more problem to deal with and that was the 500 head of cattle in the shipping trap. The trap can really only sustain 30-40 head for a summer, and the 500 head had been in there for 2 weeks already. I had more cattle coming in 2 days and I really needed to get those 500 head out. But I needed help, and my wife wouldn’t be able to help because she’d be caring for our infant son (who was returning from the hospital the next day, don’t forget). As I sat in the hallway pulling off my wet, muddy boots, the phone rang. It was a brother from church: "I was just sitting here and wondered if you needed any help tomorrow". Thank you, Lord!!!! It didn’t take me long to say "Yes. Yes I do". And with a promise of help in the form of a pickup driver, an ATV rider, and a horse, first thing in the morning, I was finally able to get a hot meal (nothing but a bagel since morning, don’t forget!), a hot bath, and bed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning, the sun was shining, the wind was calm, help arrived at 8 am, my wife and family arrived at 9 am, the cattle were moved by noon, and all was (relatively) under control again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">For awhile, anyway.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">----------------------</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Things would be very different if this happened today. &nbsp;For one thing, I have an ATV ramp! I have 4 4WD ATV's, I have a capable helper in Derek (and Brianna could've helped, too, just a few years later), I know all my neighbors now, and I have 2 capable dogs. &nbsp;But every year brings new challenges!</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">And now... we await Monday.</span><br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-55192741341728781122015-04-07T22:35:00.000-06:002017-02-27T17:16:15.052-07:00Dirty Work<h2>Monday</h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />It's a nasty, windy, blowing-dirt kind of day here on the high plains. Derek and I went out to put a generator in place to pump water up the hill to a storage tank. Simple, right? The first thing we did was spend 20 minutes unplugging a tank overflow. The overflow from the side of the tank has washed dirt away from underneath and that means I've gotta get my skid steer out there ASAP to replace the dirt or I'll lose the tank. The skid steer is still leaking oil, so I'll need to watch that, too.<br /><br />Fine, so we got the overflow unplugged and I fired the generator up. The black pipe that takes water up the hill immediately blew off its flange, spraying water everywhere. It turns out that the black pipe has, after many years of faithful service, shrunk just enough that it'll no longer make contact with the pipe flange. It is 1" too short now. So, I've got put a splice in there, and I'd do this by "simply" screwing a short piece of pipe and a joiner on and putting the flange on that, except that I can't get the stupid flange free from the pipe, not w/out giving myself another hernia anyway.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the wind's blowing 30 mph and blowing dirt in my face the whole time. I have to heat the black pipe to get it on the flange and there's no way that's gonna happen in this wind, so I"m just going to have to bag it for awhile.<br /><br />Oh, yeah, and I woke up with a 2 Ibuprofen headache.<br /><br />That's Monday, so far. But, hey, it could be much worse. At least I can walk and still have the strength to throw pipe wrenches 43.5 yards in frustration. Not that I did, mind you. I'm just sayin'... </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><h2>Tuesday</h2><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Got my well problem fixed and dirt around the tank but it was not w/out drama. First drama was that the skid steer was way low on hydraulic fluid and I was out of the stuff. So, I sent Georgia on an emergency run to town while Derek and I loaded up and went to fix the too-short pipe. Even with a come-along holding one pipe wrench and a 3' long cheater on the other, I couldn't budge the pipe. I ended up cutting it off and moving the whole contraption to the pipe vise mounted on my truck where it still fought me. At one point, I had the joint in the vise and my cheater on it and it slipped. I gave it a good smack with the cheater and got an honest 24 yards of flight out of it. Eventually, though, I won, as I knew I would, and we got the line all fixed up with only a tiny little drip.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GiHQcdQ1Afg/VSSnVWI9bFI/AAAAAAAABJA/ch9oS9Qb2nI/s1600/IMG_20150407_153838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GiHQcdQ1Afg/VSSnVWI9bFI/AAAAAAAABJA/ch9oS9Qb2nI/s1600/IMG_20150407_153838.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's the fixed pipe mess</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Georgia showed up about then in the Ranger with the oil ($60/5 gallons) but nothing to put it in the skid steer with (.eg "funnel), so I cut an old water bottle in half and made do. It took approximately 12 10 oz bottles to get the oil up on the sight glass and I was sure we'd be burning through the rest of the new 5 gallon pail, but no... amazing things do still happen and the skid didn't even hardly lose any oil at all. It has a "high speed" button that I use a lot when working around the compound and moving from place to place but almost never when I'm actually working dirt- I wonder if that's sticking?</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">At one point, I had a full bucket of dirt and was going up a pretty steep little hill with the bucket a little too high. The skid steer did a wheelie and sat back on its butt, front wheel off the ground and bucket pointed into the sky. I dropped the bucket, cranked the controls to back up, set 'er back down, and all was well except that I was covered in dirt from the half bucket of dirt that I lost to the sky. I looked up and G had her hands over her eyes. I yelled "Cool wheelie, huh!?" and she gave me a withering look w/out even the slightest thumb up.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzprwwjIBWM/WLTA_0j5vhI/AAAAAAAAC0w/FUsqb1SCIXMBwRyfgRToCYXsiS9asoy4wCLcB/s1600/20150407_101800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzprwwjIBWM/WLTA_0j5vhI/AAAAAAAAC0w/FUsqb1SCIXMBwRyfgRToCYXsiS9asoy4wCLcB/s320/20150407_101800.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steep little hill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hGQrHMPpeKo/WLTBGaR5LEI/AAAAAAAAC00/jcRMT3GXQs4gCf0xIOGZPGD5KPdOIZaigCLcB/s1600/20150407_101820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hGQrHMPpeKo/WLTBGaR5LEI/AAAAAAAAC00/jcRMT3GXQs4gCf0xIOGZPGD5KPdOIZaigCLcB/s320/20150407_101820.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirtin' the tank</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mU-Stn97ufs/VSSnTjg2G9I/AAAAAAAABI4/QKX0XXFMmeo/s1600/IMG_20150407_153916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mU-Stn97ufs/VSSnTjg2G9I/AAAAAAAABI4/QKX0XXFMmeo/s1600/IMG_20150407_153916.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dirt around the tank</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tj-zrOfcM2g/VSSnRxoprjI/AAAAAAAABIw/K_yc6RXWJw8/s1600/IMG_20150407_153925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tj-zrOfcM2g/VSSnRxoprjI/AAAAAAAABIw/K_yc6RXWJw8/s1600/IMG_20150407_153925.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The view from the mill tower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-r_yDNpiuk/VSSncVnSHuI/AAAAAAAABJI/7I2NU1soqwA/s1600/IMG_20150407_153934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-r_yDNpiuk/VSSncVnSHuI/AAAAAAAABJI/7I2NU1soqwA/s1600/IMG_20150407_153934.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another view from the tower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Several hours later, Derek and I took the Ranger up to check on the water. If you don't, there will be a problem and you'll likely end up blowing up an expensive generator, burning up a more expensive pump, and blasting precious water all over the ground. If you do, everything will be fine and you might see a coyote, or eagle, or prairie dog. &nbsp;Well... you _will_ see prairie dogs.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything was fine and I shot this video as we rode up the hill. I also took a picture of some locoweed up there. Loco can be bad news if the cattle start eating it as they literally get addicted to it and it can kill them. There is nothing much to do about it except pray for rain and green grass.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgqGQyaNIyc" width="420"></iframe><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g34Xb1K5u34/VSSnlEvBItI/AAAAAAAABJY/dxxlroZgCDU/s1600/IMG_20150407_155610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g34Xb1K5u34/VSSnlEvBItI/AAAAAAAABJY/dxxlroZgCDU/s1600/IMG_20150407_155610.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Locoweed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> On the way back home, we swung by another tank to check it and sure 'nuff... problems. We spent 30 minutes trying to unclog the overflow pipe and finally succeeded. Then home!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrSlt0ZEC3g/VSSng9qwtQI/AAAAAAAABJQ/W1AYZyHnhCk/s1600/IMG_20150407_163025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrSlt0ZEC3g/VSSng9qwtQI/AAAAAAAABJQ/W1AYZyHnhCk/s1600/IMG_20150407_163025.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">See the water out there? &nbsp;Trouble</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Later that day, I was leaving my shop, had my hands full, wasn't paying attention and missed the step. My foot slid into the 2" gap between my step and the concrete blocks next to it that I use as a "side-step". And, of course, I lost my balance and fell like that. So, right now, my foot is swollen and, unlike Monday, I can't walk. I'm not going to go see if I can throw pipe wrenches. I'll probably hurt something else.<br /><br />At least... no... I think I'll just shut up.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Edit: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chhvKTfcM18/VSW102C4vzI/AAAAAAAABJs/lEHQkq5Nm80/s1600/Day%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chhvKTfcM18/VSW102C4vzI/AAAAAAAABJs/lEHQkq5Nm80/s1600/Day%2B1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Foot, the day after (click for full-size)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whew..... it hurts!</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> </span></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> </div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-30466906543679397832015-04-01T22:04:00.000-06:002015-04-04T08:48:54.414-06:00The Orange Equipment Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CZRl9Cdl_Y4/VRy9rvYX99I/AAAAAAAABHw/1HqtkNy7wz0/s1600/Falconry%2BEquipment%2Bcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CZRl9Cdl_Y4/VRy9rvYX99I/AAAAAAAABHw/1HqtkNy7wz0/s1600/Falconry%2BEquipment%2Bcover.JPG" height="320" width="247" /></a></div><br /><br />Many, many years ago, I co-wrote a book on Falconry Equipment with Jim Hodge. It has gone through 3 reprintings and 1 minor revision and we are now SOLD OUT of that last reprinting. It is time to seriously update the thing and that is my goal this summer. I should've had this in the can and ready to go a year ago, but there's nothing like being out of copies to encourage one to get busy.<br /><br />Actually, here's why I haven't worked on it.... After going full-tilt in falconry for over 15 years, I dropped out for nearly 10 years. In 2000, we went to the national meet which was in Amarillo TX that year. The next year, David was born and life just got busy. &nbsp;I had a great redtailed hawk- one of the best birds I've ever had- but hawking in NE New Mexico is dismal and I just started getting burned out, especially after hawking in some truly spectacular areas. I let the redtail go and lucked into a female prairie falcon which I kept for 3 years and- I'm embarrassed to say- never flew. I also let her go and then did nothing with falconry for several years. In 2010, my youngest son, Derek, was showing an interest in birds and the national meet was just down the road in Dodge City, KS, so we loaded up and went for a day.<br /><br />Derek had seen a video featuring white gyrfalcons and was all interested in seeing one up close and wanted to know if there'd be one there. I said "Oh, you bet!" We pulled up to the meet after parking our Coleman camper down at the "Gypsy Hawking" place, and walked up to the weathering yard where, none to my surprise, but all to Derek's delight, there was a white gyrfalcon sunning. We hadn't been there 5 minutes when the owner of the gyr picked the bird up and came back to the gate. He recognized me immediately- remember, I haven't been to a meet in 10 years- and we shook hands. I mentioned how Derek was all excited about seeing his first gyr and the bird's owner said "Here! Hold her!" and slipped Derek's hand into the glove. Another falconer behind us snapped a picture and here we go:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mp9Uc0PZpk/VRyz982vbII/AAAAAAAABHE/4sQYPM1JQ80/s1600/P1000003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mp9Uc0PZpk/VRyz982vbII/AAAAAAAABHE/4sQYPM1JQ80/s1600/P1000003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek at his first falconry meet<br />(Photo- Ellen McIntyre)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We ended up going hawking with the group and not only did Derek get to hold the gyr, but we got to see it fly, helped a redtail catch its first jackrabbit, and made several new friends. &nbsp;Derek was hooked. That night at the NAFEX (a falconry forum) dinner, I sat next to our Mountain Director, Paul Domski and talked to him. &nbsp;"You should put in for a peregrine this year", he said. &nbsp;The little wheels started churning and well... I documented it all, starting <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-search-of-wild-peregrine.html" target="_blank">here</a>. &nbsp;And that was the start of our return to falconry.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XzLl793Wti0/VRy09XL12yI/AAAAAAAABHM/R_sV-7-bs6E/s1600/NAFEX%2B2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XzLl793Wti0/VRy09XL12yI/AAAAAAAABHM/R_sV-7-bs6E/s1600/NAFEX%2B2010.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the NAFEX dinner, Paul Domski on the left. I'm thinking about peregrines.<br />(Photo- Brandi Nickerson)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We missed the 2011 meet. &nbsp;I was going to take David that year, but the meet was in Utah and his blood was just super-low, and Mom and Derek were gone to southern NM. &nbsp;<a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2011/11/waiting-on-winter.html" target="_blank">Here's my post from that week.</a>&nbsp; In May 2012, of course, David died, &nbsp;Derek was very interested in falconry then, and I took a kestrel from a nest box on the ranch and let him train it. I think this really, really helped him get through the loss of his big brother as it gave him something that's his and something new to hold on to. And he's turned out to be a talented trainer, too. That fall, we went to the meet in Kearney, NE and I was asked to play music after the country band couldn't make it. I hadn't really played guitar since David's passing and, as I talked about <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction-thoughts-on.html" target="_blank">last week</a>, I was pretty much brain-dead creatively. &nbsp;But, I got up there and did it, had a good time, and met some new friends in the process. It made me think that, like, people actually like to hear me play and that was encouraging. I started thinking about actually practicing again.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-daoYxq8y5SQ/VRy3TQRXjhI/AAAAAAAABHY/3bTHNNG7PyI/s1600/NAFA%2B2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-daoYxq8y5SQ/VRy3TQRXjhI/AAAAAAAABHY/3bTHNNG7PyI/s1600/NAFA%2B2012.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing at NAFA 2012<br />(Photo- Scott McNeff)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm telling you all this to tell you this- in the course of going back to the meets and talking to falconers again, I realized that my little book has made an impact on people. I can't tell you how many people would come up to me and tell me how useful the "orange equipment book" was in their falconry progress. When our friend Heather visited a few weeks ago, she told me how a group of young falconers would gather every week and study books, including the "orange equipment book". &nbsp;I met some great hood makers who told me "we learned from the orange equipment book!" Someone actually kneeled down in front of me in the weathering yard! &nbsp;All this was encouraging if somewhat humorous to me. I mean, do these people know the truth about me?<br /><br /><span style="line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">At one point, I sat down and crunched the numbers and figured that I LOSE money on the book- if I spent the same time working on guitars as I did writing, I'd make more money. &nbsp;Up to 2010, I'd pretty much decided to drop the book and not reprint it, but going to the meets and meeting people made me realize that it's not about the money. It's really about helping people, being a good influence on them, and contributing back to the sport. That kestrel has been great therapy for Derek and I want to say "Thanks" back to the falconry world. So, I'm forgetting about the money part and working on a revision and I'm putting some Effort into it.&nbsp;</span><br /><br />At this point, I have all the chapters in place with all my existing photos and illustrations placed. I can now see where the holes are and what needs to be filled. It's been a lot of work. I've been working until midnight most nights, but it's fun and I feel good doing it. It feels good to be pushing and driving again. It's also interesting contrasting today vs when I first wrote the book. &nbsp;Here's what I posted on Facebook:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">As much work as this _revision_ has been, it's hard to believe I actually wrote this thing from scratch at one point. Actually, after spending 4 years gathering information, I spent 4 months doing almost nothing but writing it and my Master's thesis. I'd work on each one for a week at a time and then switch to the other one. I took a semester off school to do this and I'd get up and be writing at 8 am, work until lunch, eat lunch<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">, work until 3, go hawking, and then work until 10-11 pm. All of this was in DOS 3.3 and what a Godsend it was when I got DR-DOS and could switch programs w/out closing them on my big, mean 286/16 machine with a 10 mb hard drive and 1024k ram. When I was all done, I had my thesis and the book in hand. I was 30 years old and I told Georgia "I can die now."</span></blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"></span>But, I didn't. I'm still here as you may have noticed.</blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I'm revising the falconry book, but I not going to revise my thesis. Funny story about THAT. After graduating, I set out to get a "paper" published from my thesis ("Differential migration of Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks in NE Nevada"). So, I pulled data out, slapped it around, and sent it off to The Condor or The Auk, I don't remember which. It came back with "Where's N?" N being "total sample size". Well, that's a dumb thing to miss in a peer-reviewed paper! I went to my thesis to get the missing magic number and....not there. After going thru my 3 committee members, the dean's office, and independent reviewers NO ONE noticed that "N" was missing!!! Incredible. I was in full-tilt working mode by then, so I just tossed everything in a file drawer and forgot about it. I don't even know if I still have a copy of my thesis- I think I threw away the last copy a few years ago. I suppose I should go down to the barn, dig around in boxes, and see.</blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Yeah, Science!!!</blockquote><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl4vrzTSnTw/VRy5bBufUKI/AAAAAAAABHk/Of6xvIHUpSM/s1600/Book%2Bprogress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl4vrzTSnTw/VRy5bBufUKI/AAAAAAAABHk/Of6xvIHUpSM/s1600/Book%2Bprogress.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book progress!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And so, that's the story of the orange equipment book. &nbsp;I should post this blurb from the new edition:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>About the Authors</b><br />Bryan Kimsey became a falconer and NAFA member in 1983 and has flown hybrid falcons, prairie falcons, peregrine falcons, Harris's hawks, redtails, a ferruginous hawk, and Cooper's hawks.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Jim Hodge has been a falconer and NAFA member since 1970 and has flown redtails, Harris' hawks, kestrels, peregrine falcons, and hybrid falcons. &nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Kimsey and Hodge met in a trapping blind in south Texas in 1986 in which Hodge proposed the idea for this book. Kimsey thought it was a good idea and had nothing better to do so over the next 5 years he did the bulk of the writing while Hodge collected information and handled logistics and together they got the book done. The 2nd edition has been a long time coming but here it is- we hope you find it useful.</blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br />Special thanks to Bob, Ellen, Don, Heather, Natasha, Paul, Jeff, Manny, Michael, Mario, Brandi, Rich, Chris, Tom, Greg and all the rest of my "falconry family". You are great friends who have given me much encouragement.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-4410493336865059482015-03-24T10:46:00.001-06:002017-03-03T19:12:09.990-07:00(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction: Thoughts on Creativity, Interaction, Euphoria, and DepressionI typed something to a friend the other day and it's been lurking in my subconscious ever since. &nbsp;I said "I live in a vacuum and feedback is important to me". &nbsp;That just kind of slipped off the keyboard but when I was awake at 4 am this morning pondering my role in The Universe, I realized just how true that statement is. I crave feedback. I find that when I make a comment or an allusion or play my guitar or write something or whatever, that I do so because I want a response. If there's a response, I get a little rush. I'm sure this response is due to bodily chemical reaction that results in an addiction of sorts. At the same time, if I'm expecting a response and I don't get one, then the rush doesn't happen and a mild depression follows instead.<br /><br />By "feedback", I really mean "interaction". For instance, I love questions. Whether we're in Sunday school or shooting bows or doing falconry or playing guitar, if someone says "Hey, what do you think about ______?" or "Hey, how do you do _______?" (it's a little known fact that my first name is really "Hey"), well, that's a rush. At the same time, I equally love it when someone feeds me, especially in an interactive way. &nbsp;In other words, I don't really like going to conferences and listening to speakers and not interacting with them. &nbsp;I want to sit down across a table with a cup of coffee and interact. I want them to ask questions of me and me to ask questions of them. There are fewer things I'd rather do, really, than give and take. <br /><br />Good music is like this and that's why I like playing good music. I've been in jams with two or three good players who listen to each other and we've traded breaks back and forth for hours, sometimes playing the same tune for 10-15-20 minutes. I remember one jam in particular with two young hotshots from South Plains College where we did exactly this. I played something, one of them built upon that, the next kid took it somewhere else, it came back to me and I modified it, and around and around and around we went. The incredible Anne Luna (I call her "The World's Best Bass Player" for good reason) was playing bass for us and had to leave momentarily to go pop a blister on her finger; that's how intense that jam was. And that, folks, is an extremely satisfying thing. It's also fairly rare but once you've experienced it, you'll seek it out for the rush.<br /><br />Then there's musical situations where no one listens and there's no feedback. I can remember several gigs like that but one in particular stands out- we were playing at an arts fair in Boise ID. &nbsp;There was a large lawn space in front of the stage and people would go out of their way to walk around that space. No one stopped to listen to our little band (and I don't think we were THAT bad!). Worse, no one in the band was listening to each other. It came time for me to take a solo and I stepped up to the mike and continued to play rhythm. No one raised their eyebrows or winked or did anything other than continue to stare at their own instruments. Now, I suppose one could say "Well, you should be playing for yourself!" and you'd have a point, but I don't have to lug my guitar to the car, drive an hour, unload, and stand in the hot summer sun to play for myself. I go out so that I can reap what I sow. And when I expect to reap and it doesn't happen, it's extremely unsatisfying. I can't play "background music" for this reason. If one, just one, person listens and I can have a "conversation" with that one person, I'm happy, but to sit and play without that interaction... ugh. Unsatisfying. Downright depressing, really- no one cares! &nbsp;Well, not really, but that's what it feels like.<br /><br />I enter guitar and mandolin contests largely for the feedback. There you are in front of a panel of "blind" judges. They can't see you, don't know who you are, and you're there just to play and see how you stack up. This feedback either encourages me to continue- if I do well- or it spurs me to work harder- if I do well, but not quite well enough to win. It rarely totally discourages me because I hate to quit, especially when I've set a goal for myself. &nbsp;I do music videos and put them on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/nmhighplains" target="_blank">my YouTube channel</a> for this same reason- I want feedback. &nbsp;I got this comment the other day and it just made my day:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Bryan, your demos remind me of the great Jimmy Connors,who back in the mid 1970's demonstrated that he could crush the daylights out of a tennis ball,just using a cut off broom!You could basically make any guitar sound fabulous and I doubt anyone will disagree.</blockquote><br />As a guy with hearing aids in each ear who's been deaf since age 6, this is very satisfying feedback. It says "you're doing something right".<br /><br />You might consider this "ego building" but I disagree because it's equally satisfying if someone feeds me. Like I said earlier, I love it when someone say "Have you considered _____?" and then proceeds to feed an already existing interest. &nbsp;New interests are harder for me to accommodate because my Interest Jar is already pretty full and bringing in something new means something old's gotta go, but when someone brings something to the table that expands an existing interest, that is very satisfying. In fact, if I don't get fed, I'm going to go seek A Feeder. This is really why I take lessons, and it's why one on one lessons are better than a book- interaction. I need both Feeders and I need to Feed. When one's missing, I'm not satisfied.<br /><br />Now, the creativity part. &nbsp;I create things- whether they be musical or written (like, um...this blog) because I want interaction. I want to enrich someone's life with something that I've created but I also want to know that I've enriched their life- feedback! To know that I've enriched someone is a very satisfying thing. To be unable to do this is unsatisfying. <br /><br />The first year after <a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2012/05/david-allen-kimsey-2001-2012.html" target="_blank">David's death</a>, I had zero creativity. I played almost no guitar- my primary instrument, where I expect myself to create- but focused on mandolin. There, I played Celtic tunes by rote with no variation, no improvisation, and no creativity. No creativity meant that I had nothing to offer. &nbsp;Nothing to offer means no feedback. No feedback means no satisfaction. &nbsp;No satisfaction means depression. Depression means no desire for creativity. &nbsp;It's a vicious cycle. The one thing that would draw me out of that cycle was someone asking a question. When someone asks for something, it means that they want help and helping people is satisfying. Satisfaction drives depression away. Temporarily, at least. &nbsp;I noticed that, for the first time in my life, the euphoria of satisfaction would be followed by a depression, the only way out of which was to wait for another question. That first year was tough. &nbsp;There were times when I'd be in the shop, the darkness would hit, and I would have to crawl under my workbench, curl up, and suck my thumb for awhile before I got a grip on it and starting looking at the sunny side again.<br /><br />Two years after David, I wasn't crawling under the workbench as much and I started playing guitar again, but there was nothing there. &nbsp;No creativity, just kind of making my fingers move again over stuff that I knew. I went to Kaufman Kamp as a mandolin Kamper, but I placed myself in "Intermediate" instead of &nbsp;"Advanced" because I couldn't think yet and I didn't want to be challenged. &nbsp;I just wanted to get moving again. I did very little jamming- mostly listening- but it was that year that I found "<a href="http://bryankimsey.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-mandolin-story.html" target="_blank">The David Mandolin</a>" and that was satisfying. &nbsp;At Winfield that year, I also did very little jamming, but I started getting my ears back and more importantly, my desire to create via music.<br /><br />Now, three years after David's death, I feel like I'm gaining my creativity back but only in the past few months. The friend I mentioned at the start of this long post visited us, provided a lot of stimulating discussion about mutual interests, which, in turn, stimulated me to play a lot of guitar and mandolin during which I announced to whoever was listening "I feel like I can play again" by which I really meant "I feel creative again!". After the friend left, I told Georgia "I got fed this week." &nbsp;That was a satisfying week, followed, of course, by a depressive crash, but not as bad as previous depressions, (helped quite a bit by us leaving to attend a family reunion which was also pretty "satisfying", all in all). &nbsp;I held on to the good, focused ahead, and kept the creative rush going. &nbsp;Furthermore, this "feeding" helped me realize how important it is that I, too, get "fed". Between pastoring (Sunday morning, Sunday sermon, Weds eve), Internet guitar forums, guitar customers, and etc,&nbsp;I do so much feeding that it drains me. Normally, I can recharge, but when a bad event happens- in the past 4 years, I've dealt with a lawsuit, severe drought, David's death, and Georgia's cancer- I don't recharge and it just wipes me out. &nbsp;I need to find people to feed me.<br /><br />Well, this has been a long post with not very many pictures. It's been said to me that I tend to write posts about stuff that happens and not touchy-feely stuff, so here's a touchy-feely post for you. I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately- thinking about the creative urge, wondering how to fight the post-euphoric crash and maintain a more even keel, and well, here we are. &nbsp;Your comments and questions are welcomed! &nbsp;:)<br /><br />Here's an obligatory picture.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO1YGZRU16A/WLoiPN0dugI/AAAAAAAAC10/NuLmI4mFyr8YGNvAS5ZKLVM8h0tvS_wywCLcB/s1600/Guitars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO1YGZRU16A/WLoiPN0dugI/AAAAAAAAC10/NuLmI4mFyr8YGNvAS5ZKLVM8h0tvS_wywCLcB/s320/Guitars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R:<br />Martin D-28 1937 Authentic<br />Proulx OM/D<br />Krishot F5 mandolin<br />Proulx OM/D<br />Martin D-18 Golden Era</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />And here's a couple of applicable Bible verses which it would do me well to remember:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Php 4:8 NKJV &nbsp;Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.</blockquote><div><blockquote class="tr_bq">1Th 5:21 NKJV &nbsp;Test all things; hold fast what is good.</blockquote></div><div><br /></div>Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-83195033226472072562015-03-16T23:30:00.000-06:002015-03-16T23:36:06.272-06:00Northbound!The Family Reunion finished up this morning and after the usual packing and loading, we set out for a side trip to White Sands National Monument. &nbsp;The original plan was to spend the night in Alamogordo, but I was itching to get home because I have a bunch of incoming guitars to work on and so at 3 pm, we struck out across New Mexico, heading north on a 375 mile trip. &nbsp;If all went well, we'd be home by 10 pm, which is late and tiring, but it's worth it to be home. &nbsp;All went well and we got home right on time.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5nyOo2eUK7U/VQe9KBuKd8I/AAAAAAAABF8/ntrtQKLYYJk/s1600/IMG_20150316_135242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5nyOo2eUK7U/VQe9KBuKd8I/AAAAAAAABF8/ntrtQKLYYJk/s1600/IMG_20150316_135242.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandolin picking at White Sands</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />This time, I shot 15 seconds of video every 50 miles. &nbsp;Darkness caught us about 120 miles out so I couldn't get the best part of the trip- close to home!- but I did manage to catch the Union County sign in the dark.<br /><br />Gonna post this up real quick and hit the sack! &nbsp;This might be my shortest blog post yet.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jmhZhpLxUvs" width="560"></iframe><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-14504533967284324102015-03-13T20:00:00.000-06:002015-03-17T12:17:20.426-06:00SouthboundWe drove south to El Paso today (a 460 mile trip) and as we went through Alamogordo, I told Georgia (who grew up there)- "There's Harris' hawks here now". &nbsp;This is interesting because Harris' hawks didn't used to be there and have moved into the area in recent years. Derek perked up and started pointing out raptors on the telephone poles. I said, "No... they won't be up there. They're more likely down in the lower trees like... um... those mesquite" and then I point to 2 Harris' hawks sitting in a mesquite tree. &nbsp;Ha!<br /><br />Decades ago, we were at the Sonoran Desert Museum near Tucson. I had yet to see a wild H<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">H so I asked the lady there "are there any Harris' hawks here?" She says "not very many- they're pretty rare." We get in the car and drive about a mile and there at the top of a saguaro is a large adult HH.</span><br /><br />Another time, I was driving down a remote NM road with a friend talking about redtails and describing the brown tail of the immature. I look out the passenger side window and surfing along in the truck's wake is... an immature RT hawk. It stayed with us for 1/4 mile and my passenger got a great look at the brown tail of an immature RT hawk.<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">It's almost like magic sometimes.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">On the way down, I decided to video the scenery to sort of document the changing terrain- and boy, does it change from our house to El Paso! &nbsp;We went from high plains grasslands, down through the pinon/juniper country, then through yucca country, and finally into the rocky Mexican desert of El Paso. &nbsp;The yuccas went from ground level to 10 feet tall or more, the rocks went from sharp round volcanic to sharp flat granite. &nbsp;The hills go from smooth and rolling to mostly straight up and down. And the moisture went from snow to non-existent. If' we'd gone through Taos to pick up the alpine stuff, I think we could have crossed most of the major life-zones in the U.S. on this trip. Here we go....</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">First, we stopped in Las Vegas for a brunch at the excellent Charlie's Spic 'n Span. &nbsp;We started off with fun stuff:</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DIO1k484H94/VQOyOPHtqeI/AAAAAAAABFg/xtUaxN0mYX8/s1600/Derek%2Beating%2Bdonut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DIO1k484H94/VQOyOPHtqeI/AAAAAAAABFg/xtUaxN0mYX8/s1600/Derek%2Beating%2Bdonut.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appetizers</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Followed by a most excellent green chili breakfast burrito. This was one of the green chili things that you could smell a good 12" from your nose. I had no trouble eating the whole thing and drinking 2-3 cups of the coffee.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PU5SN6jJa_c/VQOyOXk7eJI/AAAAAAAABFk/8M4psKFguyw/s1600/My%2Bburrito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PU5SN6jJa_c/VQOyOXk7eJI/AAAAAAAABFk/8M4psKFguyw/s1600/My%2Bburrito.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is New Mexico Food</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Properly stuffed, we hit the road again and promptly missed our exit. &nbsp;No worries- we just proceeded on down the road and took NM 3, a small and lonely road also heading south. &nbsp;That's where the video record starts.<br /><br />Following are some comments I jotted down:<br /><br />Duran is leaving the high country and starting out through the central grasslands. There's less moisture here and more yuccas.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The Corona area is full of pinyon/juniper and used to be full of deer- might still be. Once when Georgia and I were still dating, we were driving up to the ranch and going through Corona about 2 am. &nbsp;I was asleep, G was driving, and I suddenly woke up, grabbed the steering wheel, yelled "watch out for the deer!!!", and then fell asleep again. &nbsp;I can't believe she stuck with me after that.<br /><br />Approaching Carrizozo, the country is definitely moving into the tall yuccas. It's getting drier and the grass is getting much sparser. &nbsp;I did raptor surveys for 2 years in the country to your right (west), all the way to the AZ border.</div><br />Running alongside the Jornada del Muerto or Journey of the Dead Man. This is a flat, dry basin running most of the length of central New Mexico. It's home to White Sands Missile Range now.<br /><br />Just outside Alamogordo is where we saw the Harris' hawks. &nbsp;Note the tall yuccas and tall mesquite trees. The soil is sandy and this is some seriously dry country.<br /><br />At the end of this journey, these are some seriously steep mountains. &nbsp;Hueco Tanks State Park- a famous bouldering area is just around the ridge to the right.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yiL_vv7Z0eA" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Coming.... "Northbound"!<br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-70097684226428398732015-03-12T19:13:00.002-06:002015-03-18T22:38:08.298-06:00Dig a hole, dig a hole in the meadowOr in the pasture at least.<br /><br />We're getting ready for another cattle season- my 20th- and this involves turning all the mills and pumps and making sure they all work. &nbsp;Last year, a leak developed in the pipeline that feeds 7 tubs in 3 pastures and we needed to fix it. &nbsp;I wrote:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This is our Ranch Job for the day. This well takes water to 5 tanks scattered thru 3 different pastures and the pipeline has a leak. Our Mission- whether or not we accept it- is to find the leak and stop it. After some manipulation of valves and water pressure, we verified the leak, did some digging and found the culprit. Later today, after things have dried off, we'll issue the appropriate correction which we will accomplish by means of blowtorch and clamp pressure, followed by dirt and shovels. If all goes well (&lt;= see what I did there?), this draining leak will be stopped.</blockquote><br />Finding the leak was the problem, but I solved it by turning the pump and getting some pressure in the line. &nbsp;Within minutes, water was bubbling to the surface and we then dug.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BArFAr36H4/VQI4glCRzbI/AAAAAAAABEA/xF5gXmGKGdA/s1600/Derek%2Bat%2Bwell%2Bhole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BArFAr36H4/VQI4glCRzbI/AAAAAAAABEA/xF5gXmGKGdA/s1600/Derek%2Bat%2Bwell%2Bhole.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek at the hole</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mission accomplished (I hope). I unscrewed the screw-in attachments a little, which gave me almost 1/2" more length, heated the pipe, jiggled everything together a bit, added 2 hose clamps while pipe was still warm, and so far, so good! And I see why I had to add these connectors in the first place... one side is 1 1/4" black pipe and the other is 1 1/2" so I had to use a step-down connector.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHJw-jTG5ZI/VQI4o1H6uGI/AAAAAAAABEo/TOilfKqIqKI/s1600/Well%2Bleak%2Bfixed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHJw-jTG5ZI/VQI4o1H6uGI/AAAAAAAABEo/TOilfKqIqKI/s1600/Well%2Bleak%2Bfixed.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leak stopped</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q0Gsp1RTyKc/VQI4kUqzUsI/AAAAAAAABEI/Y9pLhmqpInc/s1600/Derek%2Bon%2Bmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q0Gsp1RTyKc/VQI4kUqzUsI/AAAAAAAABEI/Y9pLhmqpInc/s1600/Derek%2Bon%2Bmill.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing mill towers (note Ranger!)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLKhzdbhNSk/VQI4oq_Qr0I/AAAAAAAABEs/A8ERe84JOC8/s1600/Raccoon%2Btracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLKhzdbhNSk/VQI4oq_Qr0I/AAAAAAAABEs/A8ERe84JOC8/s1600/Raccoon%2Btracks.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Raccoon tracks at mill<br /><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I was making my morning cup of fresh-ground, pour-over coffee one morning when I noticed:<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fSmfNx3O3t0/VQI4kZ7JOMI/AAAAAAAABEQ/4-q8BKpgAGY/s1600/DSC00568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fSmfNx3O3t0/VQI4kZ7JOMI/AAAAAAAABEQ/4-q8BKpgAGY/s1600/DSC00568.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonset to the West and....</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0uppvf4EZ7g/VQI4khrxGeI/AAAAAAAABEM/01j2q__mCAM/s1600/DSC00569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0uppvf4EZ7g/VQI4khrxGeI/AAAAAAAABEM/01j2q__mCAM/s1600/DSC00569.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...sunrise to the East</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Always a nice sight here on the plains:<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RqdFkoyObMA/VQI4oBKvIXI/AAAAAAAABEg/W4C4kKtCScc/s1600/Rain%2Bclouds%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RqdFkoyObMA/VQI4oBKvIXI/AAAAAAAABEg/W4C4kKtCScc/s1600/Rain%2Bclouds%2B2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm on the horizon...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pav5bl86MQ/VQpSh1SQBgI/AAAAAAAABGU/DBhYrBMsxTY/s1600/IMG_20150309_172104%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pav5bl86MQ/VQpSh1SQBgI/AAAAAAAABGU/DBhYrBMsxTY/s1600/IMG_20150309_172104%5B1%5D.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...gave us 1/4" of rain.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And now we just wait for cattle, more rain, green gas, and Lord willing, a good season. &nbsp;There will be some new challenge this year, I'm sure of it.<br /><br />Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917743022006156308.post-53673747294061246492015-03-10T18:57:00.000-06:002015-03-12T19:27:44.437-06:00Springing Forward......after "Fall-ing" back.<br /><br />As is the routine, it's been a long time between posts. &nbsp;My last post was elk hunting in the fall. Winter has now come and gone and spring's on the near horizon. It's time to spring back and catch up. Here's what happened over the winter:<br /><br />First, here's how we ended the fall- LOTS of old grass. &nbsp;This might be the best end-of-season I've seen in a decade. &nbsp;All of this grass is still here come spring and it held the winter snow in place.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqUd1JyT2-Q/VQI88AjjhwI/AAAAAAAABFE/yahOF6RxBlY/s1600/Derek%2Bat%2Bend%2Bof%2B2014%2Bseason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqUd1JyT2-Q/VQI88AjjhwI/AAAAAAAABFE/yahOF6RxBlY/s1600/Derek%2Bat%2Bend%2Bof%2B2014%2Bseason.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting in a sea of grass</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We got a wood stove installed last fall and it was GREAT! &nbsp;It's a Lopi Endeavor re-burning wood stove. &nbsp;This is not your grandad's wood stove where most of the heat goes up the chimney. &nbsp;This one recirculates gasses and reburns them, for a near 90% efficiency rate. &nbsp;It cut our propane bill by 2/3 and, while it didn't keep the entire house toasty, it did give us a "hot spot" in the living room where we could sit and be warm. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEtXEEQkbIU/VQInF9-Qd6I/AAAAAAAABCk/PMHqbYuaWbk/s1600/IMG_20140923_122453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEtXEEQkbIU/VQInF9-Qd6I/AAAAAAAABCk/PMHqbYuaWbk/s1600/IMG_20140923_122453.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-stove</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iularw6yX8A/VQInFdvd_MI/AAAAAAAABCg/wcvdRJ56Ybo/s1600/IMG_20140923_165807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iularw6yX8A/VQInFdvd_MI/AAAAAAAABCg/wcvdRJ56Ybo/s1600/IMG_20140923_165807.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-stove</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Falconry-wise, I started the season with a fresh-taken female prairie falcon. &nbsp;We didn't get along well- to be fair to her, I was trying a different training technique- and ended up parting ways. &nbsp;After some effort, I trapped a passage redtailed hawk- only my 4th RT in 30+ years of falconry- in December and flew her for the rest of the season. &nbsp;She's an interesting bird in that she follows and flies beautifully, but doesn't seem to know what bunnies are. &nbsp;Because she tries to swallow all of her food whole, I think she'd mostly been a mouse hawk until I trapped her. I'm going to molt her and fly her another season and then probably let her go. I have a Cooper's hawk in mind and possibly another prairie falcon.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFMkuq5cZ9w/VQIp28heHTI/AAAAAAAABC8/S_oRfbi0YRU/s1600/manningtheRT_zps17f9bd22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFMkuq5cZ9w/VQIp28heHTI/AAAAAAAABC8/S_oRfbi0YRU/s1600/manningtheRT_zps17f9bd22.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 weeks out of the trap. &nbsp;She loves me (not).</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9hm0U_yrpE/VQIpyqz_8tI/AAAAAAAABC0/RIGNC82KdUI/s1600/IMG_20150111_165432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9hm0U_yrpE/VQIpyqz_8tI/AAAAAAAABC0/RIGNC82KdUI/s1600/IMG_20150111_165432.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 weeks out of the trap</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Falconry was mostly a disappointment this year, but that's also mostly my fault since I was fooling around with the prairie falcon and didn't get the RT until December and trained until mid-January. By then, the surviving bunnies are smart and hard to catch and we don't have that many anyway. We had some good flights but ended the season score-less. &nbsp;We did make it to the North American Falconer's Association Meet in Lubbock TX and I was hoping for a good week of hawking there, but Derek took ill the first day and spent the whole week sick in bed. &nbsp;Because of this, we bailed mid-week and came on home where he continued to run a 100 deg fever for a full week. &nbsp;So that was a bummer. At the meet, though, I did win the pole perch I'm using in the above picture, talk to a lot of people about the upcoming revision to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falconry-Equipment-guide-making-falconry/dp/B004THZGHM" target="_blank">"Falconry Equipment"</a>, visit with friends, eat some good food, and more or less relax a bit.<br /><br />January and February rolled by with the main excitement being the birth of our first grandchild via Quenten and Brianna in February. In January, the ranch got a new 2014 Polaris Ranger XP 900. I've been looking at these for years, and the time seemed right to get one, so we did. &nbsp;It arrived Jan 2 and between then today (March 12), I have started the ranch Ford F250 a grand total of 3 times. &nbsp;If the Ranger stays reliable, it should prove to be a very useful vehicle.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxYxUptwyCI/VQIzZvQ_0eI/AAAAAAAABDg/t238Av6xrXg/s1600/IMG_20150115_142212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxYxUptwyCI/VQIzZvQ_0eI/AAAAAAAABDg/t238Av6xrXg/s1600/IMG_20150115_142212.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting firewood from the new Ranger</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In March, our friend Heather, falconer/horse/dog trainer stopped for a visit on her gypsy way from Texas back to Montana. &nbsp;It ended up snowing nearly the entire week, trapping her here, and we played games, talked training and music, watched movies, and had just a generally good time. &nbsp;Derek made a new friend and learned a lot about training animals. We really enjoyed having her visit and were sad to see her go.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9enFiGrn-E/VQIyC6aMyDI/AAAAAAAABDM/0-_8dO-o59c/s1600/DSC00526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9enFiGrn-E/VQIyC6aMyDI/AAAAAAAABDM/0-_8dO-o59c/s1600/DSC00526.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek and Heather compare falcons</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Also in March (the 7th and 9th, to be exact),&nbsp;Georgia and I observed our 29th wedding anniversary and I passed 53 years old. &nbsp;Here's what I said about that on Facebook:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />As of today, Georgia and I have been married for 29 years. That's, like, almost 3 decades. There are countries that haven't lasted as long (I don't know which ones, but it sounds good on paper). We've been thru celebrated births (3 kids), tragic deaths (buried one of them), cross-country moves, dramatic career changes, a lawsuit, poverty, (relative) prosperity, cancer, conversions, college, drought, near-disasters, a few easy years, and more (that I can't remember), and are still kicking along.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Also on the radar, on Monday, I will be 53 years old. I long ago ran out of the good years for Martin D's ('34-38) and am now fixing to run out of good years for Telecasters ('50-54). After this, I'll be living in Stratocaster Years ('54-64). If I make past those, I suppose I'll have a few years of Fender Blackface amps ('64-67), the volume of which I'll undoubtedly need at that point, providing I can even hear at all by then. I don't know what I'll latch on to if I make it past the Blackface stage. Guess I'll cross that bridge then, if. None of this will make the least bit of sense to non-guitar-weenies, of course, but it's how I put history in perspective.</blockquote><br /><br />This past week, Derek's cows started giving birth, bringing more excitement. &nbsp;We lost the first one- whether due to a still birth or the snow storm, I don't know. &nbsp;The 2nd was one born the next day and is doing well, as of this writing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3JLdYwQPOnY/VQIzvuYysQI/AAAAAAAABDo/sbd4HifrVsY/s1600/Derek's%2Bnew%2Bcalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3JLdYwQPOnY/VQIzvuYysQI/AAAAAAAABDo/sbd4HifrVsY/s1600/Derek's%2Bnew%2Bcalf.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek is now a cattleman</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpEPkYFo45k/VQIzv31vE8I/AAAAAAAABDs/B--FhdrFpZg/s1600/Fighting%2Bover%2Bcalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpEPkYFo45k/VQIzv31vE8I/AAAAAAAABDs/B--FhdrFpZg/s1600/Fighting%2Bover%2Bcalf.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cow that lost her calf tries to claim this one. &nbsp;We separated her out.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And now, having caught up, let's take a look at Ranch Life in the next post!Bryan Kimseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12263269477699687938noreply@blogger.com0